Sprinting phenomenon Gout Gout will make his debut at September’s World Athletics Championships after the 17-year-old was named in Australia’s squad for the Tokyo meet.
Gout, 17, has captured the attention by beating Usain Bolt’s record for a 16-year-old in the 200m and setting the Australian Under-18s record in the 100m with a time of 10.17 seconds.
Gout explained he is excited by the opportunity to face the best in the world over 200m, in what will be his senior debut, and is looking forward to the Championships in Tokyo.
“I’m super excited to be picked to run the 200 in Tokyo at the World Championships,” he said. “That’s what we’ve been aiming for.
“I’m looking forward to September being part of my first Australian senior team and looking forward to seeing what I can do against the best of the best.”
Following the Australian Athletics Championships, Gout is set to make his Team Australia debut in the Open ranks in the 200m event. Building on his success in December at the Australian schools championships which saw him become the fastest 16-year-old in history over 200m with a time of just 20.04 seconds.
At only 17, there is already speculation about the possibility of Gout competing not only at LA 2028 but also at the 2032 Games, set to be hosted in his home city of Brisbane.
The Championships in Tokyo will provide new challenges for Gout as he comes up against the world’s current fastest man over the 100m, the USA’s Noah Lyles, for the first time.
Speaking on the potential success of the selected Australian athletes in Tokyo, including Gout, Australian Athletics general high-performance manager Andrew Faichney was optimistic.
He said: “These athletes have not only proven themselves to be the best in the country, but so too the best in the world.”
