Gout Gout’s success over the last weekend instantly made him Australia’s biggest athletics name, triggering a frenzy of media and commercial interest, and he will soon rub shoulders with Olympic champion Noah Lyles in the US before returning to his Year 12 studies.
But Athletics Australia and Gout’s team are looking to the long-term in a bid to help the 16-year-old – who turns 17 at the end of this month – become the best sprinter he can be, as the Ipswich resident firms as the face of the Brisbane 2032 Games.
Gout broke the Australian 200m record on Saturday in running 20.04s, eclipsing the previous mark that had stood for more than half a century. So quick was the Queenslander, his performance would have placed him in the final at the Paris Olympics. Had he run as swiftly at Rio 2016, Gout would have finished with bronze behind gold medallist Usain Bolt.
The Jamaican great won eight Olympic gold medals and still holds the 200m world record of 19.19s. Gout has even caught the retired sprinter’s eye, and the 38-year-old wrote on Instagram that the Australian “looks like young me”.
Athletics Australia general manager of high performance Andrew Faichney said Gout’s performances have been phenomenal, but there are no immediate pressures.
“He’s a great talent and is being nurtured well by his coach Di Sheppard as well as our high performance system,” he said. “The world is his oyster and we look forward to seeing what he can do over the next few years.”
Gout’s path towards sprinting’s summit will continue as he joins American Lyles next month during a training camp in Florida organised by Adidas, which sponsors both athletes.
Interest in Gout has exploded since his performances at the All-Schools Championships in Brisbane, and his father Bona was door-stopped by Channel Seven on Sunday, prompting reports that Gout would be changing his name.
But the teenager is comfortable with his moniker as it is and his team, including Sheppard and manager James Templeton, remain committed to plans for the summer made before the weekend’s competition.
Gout was in Melbourne on Tuesday at a previously arranged meet-and-greet with Adidas executives, and will return to Brisbane for Christmas with family before flying out to the Florida camp.
His next competition is planned to be the Queensland state titles in March, before an appearance at Athletics Australia’s signature event, the Maurie Plant Meet at Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne on 29 March.
Gout was only signed by Adidas in October in a strategy by the shoe manufacturer similar to the approach it took with Lyles. The American was signed while still in high school and extended the arrangement this year in a deal his management described as “the richest contract in the sport of track and field since the retirement of Usain Bolt”.
Athletics outlet Citius estimates Bolt was paid US$10m per year by Puma during his peak.
Already Adidas’ signing of Gout appears to be paying off, and an Instagram post featuring the teenager on its Australian account is already its third most-liked for the year, behind one featuring Matilda Kyra Cooney-Cross and another with AFL player Charlie Curnow.
