Gout Gout is a champion and he will not be staying down for long! In fact, the Australian sprinter is looking to get back up in a more spirited manner. The teenage sensation has taken track and field by storm recently. Dropping some outrageous timings, Gout has been compared to the likes of Usain Bolt.

However, just a week back, things became pretty much gloomy. Competing in the Pete Norman Memorial 200m Final, the crowd expected an easy victory from Gout. But as he suffered a shock loss, the Australian phenom has now come back with a bang!

Gout ran a blitzkrieg timing of 20.30s. Unfortunately, this was not enough to beat the competition at the Pete Norman Memorial. This was because standing in his way was Lachlan Kennedy. The 60m specialist was in some sublime form this time. Dropping a thumping 20.26s, it was Kennedy who took the gold. Now, soon after the loss, there were wild speculations about whether there was a dip in Gout’s form. But well, his latest race has put a stop to all the negative remarks. Gout scored a sub-10!

Coming into the Australian U20 Championships,  Gout had a mixed reception. While a lot of people expected victory for the teenager, there was an air of suspicion too, following his recent loss. However, once the gun was fired, there was no turning back for Gout. The first glimpses of his dominance came right in the heats. Obliterating his opponents, Gout dropped 9.99s in 100m! And if this was not enough, Gout repeated the process once again in the finals. Now, that is some way to make a comeback! 

Unfortunately, both of Gout’s impressive efforts were not recorded. This is because in both instances, Gout had a tailwind, which was illegal. During the heat, it was 3.5m/s while a 2.6m/s flashed on the screen during his final run. Both numbers were much higher than the permissible limits of 2m/s. 

Surely, this is one of the biggest moments in Gout’s career. To come back from a saddening loss in such a fashion will boost his confidence by miles. However, despite Gout facing a defeat, his coach was not at all worried about his star pupil.

Coach Rob shares thoughts after Gout’s recent loss

Gout Gout may have lost his first race in a while, but he hasn’t lost his coach’s faith. In the aftermath of the teenager’s much-hyped defeat at the Maurie Plant Meet, his coach, Rob, broke his silence. And he had a lot to get off his chest!

Addressing the whirlwind of expectations around his 17-year-old protégé mentee, Rob said, “It’s pretty clear that the hype train has definitely left the station. The only question is, where is that train actually going to go?” Gout, often hailed as the next big thing in Australian sprinting, has drawn massive attention after breaking records once held by Usain Bolt. But Coach was quick to point out the irony behind the hype. He highlighted, “The entire field was a bunch of men who had all run for the most part around 20-point seconds. And the slowest man out of all of them was the same man who eventually got the victory, Lockie Kennedy himself.”

Rob also questioned the structure of Gout’s race calendar moving forward, warning against reverting to junior-level meets. “It’s the anticipation from those races that led up to this one,” he stated. Ultimately, the coach revealed why Gout continues to make headlines—even in defeat. “When Gout Gout enters the race, he doesn’t just bring himself anymore. He brings all the cameras and all the attention that goes along with it.” That he indeed does! What are your thoughts on the same?