Gout Gout’s sprinting fireworks are creating headlines however his performances are simply a part of a wider emergence of expertise Down Beneath
Gout Gout has actually executed it now. At any time when a younger athlete bursts on to the scene with a glimpse of their potential, allied to the joy is an instinctive urge to not put an excessive amount of stress on shoulders maybe not but geared up to hold the burden of expectation. Historical past has taught us, with the quite a few examples of phenoms who’ve burnt out nicely earlier than they actually had the prospect to catch hearth, to not get too carried away too quickly.
All of the indicators, nevertheless, point out that this 17-year-old is totally different. Very totally different. Not solely is he setting the world alight together with his extraordinary operating and fascinating fashion, however crucially he’s additionally capturing the general public’s creativeness.
Crowds flocked to final month’s Australian Championships in Perth, whereas the Maurie Plant Meet on the finish of March was a ten,000 sell-out and loved dwell free-to-air TV protection. One of many most important causes for the hike in curiosity was the presence of Gout, who hardly dampened the rising hype that now surrounds his each transfer.
First, in Melbourne, he narrowly misplaced an excellent 200m to world indoor 60m medallist Lachlan Kennedy however was nonetheless feted like a hero. A noticeably youthful viewers then watched in awe a few weeks later as he broke 10 seconds for 100m – operating 9.99 twice on the way in which to the U20 nationwide title – after which clocked an astonishing 19.84 in taking the senior 200m gold.
The one fly within the ointment was the truth that all had been achieved with an unlawful tailwind however, nonetheless, he’s now the second-fastest U20 200m sprinter in historical past in all circumstances. His 20.21 on the way in which to the ultimate was additionally a championship report.
It’s little shock that the highlight is falling on this compelling character who, in December, ran the quickest 200m time ever by a 16-year-old when hitting the road in 20.04, higher than Usain Bolt’s private greatest on the similar age. But, on nearer inspection, he’s the tip of an more and more spectacular iceberg. Quietly, however in plain sight, Australian athletics has been constructing its energy and depth.
“If I used to be the remainder of the world, I might be just a little bit nervous about Australia, as a result of I really feel like we may very well be pushing to being one of many powerhouse nations of observe and discipline,” says Tamsyn Manou, a three-time Olympian and former world indoor 800m champion turned commentator.
There’s good motive for her making such a declare. In Paris final 12 months, the Australian staff had their best Olympic observe and discipline efficiency since Melbourne 1956, with seven medals (one gold, two silver, 4 bronze), whereas maybe extra pertinently the World U20 Championships in Lima produced a report medal haul of 14 (two of them gold). The dream state of affairs of getting numerous established, skilled senior athletes in competition for medals whereas the subsequent era of expertise begins to develop and develop is unfolding as we converse.
Apart from Gout and Kennedy, there are different dash stars within the making within the type of Torrie Lewis, Leah O’Brien and Jessica Milat, whereas Cameron Myers and Claudia Hollingsworth have stood out within the center distances and Delta Amidzovski is world U20 lengthy soar champion and 100m hurdles bronze medallist.
A look on the senior aspect of issues reveals Olympic and world pole vault champion Nina Kennedy, Olympic 1500m silver medallist Jessica Hull, two-time world indoor excessive soar champion and two-time Olympic silver medallist Nicola Olyslagers, Olympic bronze medallist and former world excessive soar champion Eleanor Patterson, double Olympic race strolling bronze medallist Jemima Montag and Matthew Denny, who final month achieved the second-furthest discus throw of all time – 74.78m. That’s earlier than you even point out seasoned distance campaigners equivalent to Commonwealth 1500m champion Olli Hoare and the brand new 800m nationwide record-holder Peter Bol.
Why such an upturn in fortunes, then? As Manou factors out, there was a pronounced transfer from the powers that be in the direction of taking bigger groups to main championships, in addition to a higher significance being positioned on the worth of excellent teaching.
Maybe the important thing issue, although, is the inducement of a house Olympics – on this case Brisbane 2032 – to goal for. Manou competed on the Sydney Video games of 2000, wherein Cathy Freeman so memorably shone within the highlight, and she will be able to see echoes of the previous in what is going on in her homeland proper now.
“As quickly as [Juan Antonio] Samaranch mentioned that Sydney was going to host the Olympics you felt this wave of the youth going: ‘I may make that’ and it actually lifted that subsequent era, in addition to the era that was already there,” says the 46-year-old. “You are seeing precisely the identical impact 1746108595.
“In sport, when you’ve depth in an occasion, it implies that everyone else has to carry. You simply have to return to the 2000 Olympics, the place Cathy Freeman was so unimaginable. We had seven Australian ladies qualify for that 400m going into Sydney – seven ladies underneath 52 seconds – and that was as a result of Cathy was so good.
“As an athlete who was a part of the sideshow, I will perpetually be glad about the truth that we ran in an period with Cathy, as a result of we had been fortunate sufficient to have the results of that as nicely and I feel that is what Australian athletics goes to see now. It’s simply [a question of] who’s going to be that subsequent Cathy Freeman that carries the wave and captures the general public creativeness…however I feel we’re already seeing who it will be!”
Gout Gout will nonetheless simply be 24 when the Olympic circus rolls again into Australia and he’s undoubtedly the hook that’s drawing the general public curiosity again in the direction of his sport. Manou can be the Director of Sport at a personal all-girls faculty in Melbourne and now finds herself fielding an increasing number of questions concerning the new wave of Australian expertise. Not so way back, she lived in Gout’s native Queensland and recollects seeing the sooner levels of his profession.
“I used to go and watch among the state titles and I noticed him and a few others coming by the varsity ranks,” she says. “These proficient athletes, you see them operating and also you simply know that they’ve simply received one thing.
“He was this actually uncooked expertise when he first got here out onto the observe however clearly had superb leg turnover, leg pace, and that fantastic skill to throw his legs out and simply loosen up, but in addition keep relaxed underneath stress.”
He has additionally been guided by the skilled teaching hand of Di Sheppard, whose work may be very a lot evident in his current performances.
“He is all the time been this uncooked expertise,” provides Manou. “You see these legs and arms going all over the place and Di has been capable of clear that up just a little bit. The result’s that we’re seeing these tremendous quick occasions. He is now utilizing his arms superbly and his knee carry and his drive is incredible. He is an beautiful pure expertise. The pop he will get off the bottom is simply insane. It might be very nice to have any individual that folks talk about around the globe, like Usain Bolt. He captured the creativeness of everyone, and I feel to have any individual like that that is Australian… we love our sports activities stars, so it is actually thrilling.”
Manou additionally absolutely appreciates the necessity to not look too far forward however argues that Gout is already experiencing what will likely be a useful a part of his sporting schooling, studying on the job.
“Should you watch him run, it is exhausting to not get excited,” she provides. “There are issues he must work on. It is clear that he isn’t the very best starter within the discipline – he must work on that – however the again finish of his races is simply unimaginable.
“I feel it is okay to get excited, however I feel it is also nice to ensure that we nonetheless do go: ‘Okay, he is solely 17 years of age’.
“When he ran on the Maurie Plant Meet, for instance, and Lachie Kennedy beat him, I feel that was good, as a result of it confirmed everyone that he will lose some races and he will have races that are not as constant, as a result of he’s 17, and I feel that is actually wholesome to see.
“I used to be lucky sufficient to be there and the general public nonetheless beloved him. Everyone was nonetheless wanting autographs from each of these athletes, and beloved getting round him, so so long as he can maintain on to that angle of: ‘Some races aren’t going to go the way in which that I would like them to go, however it’s not the tip of the world’, then I feel they’re helpful classes shifting ahead – simply as helpful as operating tremendous quick occasions.”
With Brisbane in thoughts, Manou admits that the Australian athletes are already forward of the anticipated improvement curve – although that in itself is prone to work of their favour.
“It positively does really feel that athletics has actually gone ‘bang!’ already, whereas for Sydney [2000], I assumed that it in all probability began to step up in 1996 after which there was a giant lead-in for these 4 years,” she says. “However we have nonetheless received the LA Olympics, and a number of different occasions in between earlier than we get to Brisbane.”
She provides: “Should you use the instance of Cathy Freeman, she went to [the 1992 Olympics in] Barcelona and ran that semi-final the place she went out tremendous quick after which blew up, however then she went to Atlanta and due to that have she was unimaginable there [winning silver]. She and Marie-Jose Perec ran 48 seconds and simply blew us all away with how good that was.
“As a result of she handled that, she had that functionality and that have underneath her belt to then cope with what would have been probably the most unimaginable stress of getting a complete nation just about on her shoulders, as she was operating that 400m. That is hopefully what Gout Gout will study from and so many different individuals will have the ability to assist him alongside the journey however, on the finish of the day, as an athlete you are the one who has to go on the market and carry out, and having the ability to have these experiences and have an Olympics earlier than that as a stepping stone in LA will likely be actually good for him.”
He received’t be alone, although.
“In [just about] each occasion we’re watching, we’re simply going: ‘Bam! There’s one other star within the making’,” says Manou. “[But] the opposite factor is that now we have such fantastic position fashions and leaders inside the Australian athletics chain. We have so many nice athletes which have received medals in Olympic Video games and World Championships, which are capable of then be in and round groups, they usually additionally assist carry the burden of expectations.
“I feel that can assist a number of our younger athletes coming by and assist by way of how good our staff is as a complete. There’s not only one athlete getting in – there are a number of athletes that we’re all taking a look at and I feel that is a very massive bonus.”
Australia’s received expertise – a cross part of the nation’s rising observe and discipline energy
The Rising Stars
Gout Gout
Age: 17
Occasions: 100m and 200m
The Queenslander is quickly turning into some of the talked about athletes on the planet, having damaged Peter Norman’s long-standing Australian 200m report, received world U20 silver final 12 months and picked up his first senior nationwide 200m title final month.
Lachlan Kennedy
Age: 21
Occasions: 100m and 200m
The previous rugby participant who competed in Australia’s Olympic 4x100m relay staff final summer time was solely simply pipped to the world indoor 60m title by Britain’s Jeremiah Azu, clocking an Australian indoor report of 6.50 on his solution to silver.
Leah O’Brien
Age: 17
Occasions: 100m and 200m
The West Australian teenager received the nationwide U18s ladies 100m in 11.14, breaking Raelene Boyle’s Australian junior report that was set on the 1968 Olympics by six hundredths of a second. She then took silver within the senior ladies’s race behind Torrie Lewis.
Torrie Lewis
Age: 20
Occasions: 100m and 200m
A world U20 200m medallist final 12 months, the Oceania champion has began 2025 in fantastic type, successful the Australian 100m title.
Jessica Milat
Age: 20
Occasions: 100m and 200m
Simply missed out on a world
U20 medal in Lima, then sprung
a shock by successful the Australian 200m title with a private greatest
of twenty-two.75.
Cameron Myers
Age: 18
Occasions: 1500m/mile/3000m
Expectations have been excessive on this teenager since he turned the quickest 16-year-old to run a mile again in 2023. Missed out on Olympic qualification final 12 months however in 2025 he has damaged the world under-20 mile report twice, equalled the nationwide mile report and improved his 3000m PB by eight seconds and received his first senior nationwide 1500m title.
Claudia Hollingsworth
Age: 20
Occasions: 800m/1500m
The world U20 800m silver medallist additionally made her Olympic debut in Paris final summer time, reaching the 800m semi-finals. She broke the nationwide U20 report and received the Australian 800m title final 12 months, ending second within the 2025 champions behind fellow Olympian Abbey Caldwell.
Delta Amidzovski
Age: 18
Occasions: Lengthy soar/100m hurdles
The world U20 lengthy soar champion additionally left Lima with a 100m hurdles bronze and excels in each occasions. She was third over the hurdles at this 12 months’s nationwide championships, additionally coming second within the lengthy soar.
The established professionals
Nina Kennedy
Age: 28
Occasion: Pole vault
This extremely adorned nationwide record-holder is the reigning Olympic pole vault champion in addition to a World Championships gold medallist – sharing the title with Katie Moon in Budapest – and Commonwealth champion.
Nicola Olyslagers
Age: 28
Occasion: Excessive soar
The serial word taker has used that methodology to propel her to 2 consecutive world indoor titles, as nicely Olympic silver medals. She additionally has world out of doors and Commonwealth bronze medals to her identify.
Jessica Hull
Age: 28
Occasions: 1500m/3000m/5000m
The 2-time Olympian has grown in stature lately, taking 1500m silver in Paris and breaking the 2000m world report final summer time. Received 3000m bronze at this 12 months’s World Indoor Championships and the 1500m/5000m double on the nationwide championships.
Eleanor Patterson
Age: 28
Occasion: Excessive soar
One other high class Australian discipline eventer, her first main worldwide title got here on the 2014 Commonwealth Video games. Topped world champion in 2022, and adopted that up with silver in Budapest one 12 months later. She has additionally received world indoor silver twice and got here house from the Paris Olympics with bronze.
Matthew Denny
Age: 28
Occasion: Discus
The reigning Commonwealth champion and Olympic bronze medallist has began 2025 within the type of his life, producing 74.78m in Oklahoma final month to maneuver to second on the all-time checklist behind Mykolas Alekna.
Jemima Montag
Age: 27
Occasion: 20km race stroll
The previous ballet dancer turned the primary Australian girl in 52 years to win two medals in observe and discipline on the similar Olympics, touchdown bronze within the 20km race stroll and combined marathon stroll relay in Paris. She can be a two-time Commonwealth gold medallist and received world silver in Budapest.
Olli Hoare
Age: 28
Occasions: 1500m/Mile/5000m
The Commonwealth 1500m champion is a two-time Olympic champion and likewise the Australian and Oceania record-holder for the gap, in addition to the mile.
