Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout has capped off a phenomenal year with history-making performances at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships to earn his title as Emerging Athlete of the Month.
Bursting out of the blocks on day one of competition, Gout set the tone for big things to come with a 100-metre heat time of 10.04sec (+3.4), the fifth-fastest time by an Australian in all conditions.
He went on to later set a new Australian U18 record of 10.17sec (+0.9), making him the sixth fastest youth sprinter in the world on the way to claiming the all-schools title.
“I’ve been chasing this national record for a while,” Gout said.
“In the heat, I thought I had it, but the wind was crazy. I just repeated the same effort and got the job done.”
But it was the second day of competition that saw Gout truly make his mark on the global athletics stage, with his 200-mete run echoing around the world.
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His powerful run around the bend and up the straight saw the 16-year-old eclipse the 56-year-old Australian 200-metre record of Peter Norman’s by 0.02 seconds, winning gold with a blistering 20.04sec (+1.5m/s).
The record, which had stood since Norman’s historic silver medal at the Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games, was lauded globally by the likes of Michael Johnson, Usain Bolt and the Norman family, each impressed by the effort of such a young athlete.
Gout’s time now ranks as the second fastest ever for athletes aged under 18, surpassing Bolt’s 20.13sec, and the sixth fastest time globally for Under 20 athletes.
“These are adult times, and I’m just a kid running them,” Gout said.
“It’s going to be a great future for sure. I didn’t expect it to be that fast, but I’ve been chasing that record. I thought it would come next year, not this year.”
Gout’s breakout year was further bolstered by international success, seeing him claim silver in the 200m at the World Athletics U20 Championships with a then personal best time of 20.06sec (-0.7m/s).
“It’s going to be a great future,” Gout added.
“I always do what I say I will. If it’s on my mind, I’m going after it until I achieve it.”
The Commonwealth Games serves as a platform for developing the future stars of Australian sport and the Emerging Athlete of the Year forms part of a refreshed Awards and Honours program developed by the CGA Heritage and Awards Committee.
The CGA Emerging Athlete of the Year Award celebrates the next generation of Australian sport stars and those that may make an impact for Australia at major sport events in the future.
Over the course of 2024, an athlete will be recognised each month as the Emerging Athlete of the Month and will receive a $500 contribution towards their training and competition expenses.
Three finalists from the monthly winners will then split a $7000 cash prize, with the winner receiving $5000 and the two runners-up $1000 respectively.
With thanks to Athletics Australia.
