Gout Gout—his name is as unique as his speed. But even the teenage prodigy has his limits, especially when facing sprint-king. The Maurie Plant Meet turned into an unforgettable night for fans, Kennedy, and Gout alike. The world indoor silver medalist went head-to-head with the crowd favorite, only to shatter expectations by cruising to victory. The audience reaction was electric, and even the 17-year-old rising star was left in disbelief.

A stunned silence fell over Lakeside Stadium as Kennedy crossed the finish line—just for a second. Then, the crowd erupted in tumultuous applause for the winner. But their cheers weren’t just for Kennedy. Speaking to athletics.com, Gout recalled the surreal moment: “The silence was crazy out there. The silence was loud, as people say. You could hear a pin drop—and then, suddenly, everyone was screaming my name at the top of their lungs.”

Yes, it was the runner-up who stole the Melbourne crowd’s heart. This was a whole new experience for Gout, who embraced the moment with humility: “This is something not a lot of people get to experience. I’m just taking it step by step and enjoying it.” The Australian track and field sensation clocked an impressive 20.30 in the 200m sprint, while Kennedy made history with a 20.26 (+0.4)—the fifth-fastest time ever recorded by an Australian—to claim victory.

“That race did not disappoint” said the commentator as the 200m race wrapped up in Melbourne. And it could not be truer, the real competition came when Kennedy started to pick up at the curve and took the lead. The commentary at the time was, “Gout’s coming hard very very hard” but to no avail. Gout could not manage a win get over Kennedy though the two of them were awfully close. Gout missed out on this victory by a sliver of a chance.

This loss marked the first, second place finish for the Australian track and field sensation after more than half a year.

Gout Gout’s streak is broken

The last time Gout finished second Joe Biden was still the President of the United States. In the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships held in August 2024 in Peru, the Aussie finished second in the 200m with his then-personal best of 20.60s. From there, he went on to win every other championship he was in. In October of the very same year, he won the 200m and 400m double with times of 20.86 seconds for the 200m, and 47.57 seconds for the 400m in the GPS Track & Field Championships. Next stop? Breaking Usain Bolt’s record.

At the Australian All Schools Championships in Brisbane, held in December last year, he clocked a 20.04 on the 200m. Not only did he break Bolt’s record of being the fastest 16-year-old with his 20.13, he also broke Peter Norman’s Oceanian record (20.06) that had stood since 1968. That was 2024, come 2025 he was not even a second away from Bolt’s record.

The Jamaican legend has the fastest 200m in history, with a time of 19.19 seconds. Gout hit 19.19 in the Queensland Athletics Championships, held in March 2025. But since this was a wind-assisted run with tailwinds measuring at +3.6m/s, it wasn’t counted as any record. In the same event, he won the 100 m prelims with 10.39 seconds and the final in 10.38 seconds. The Maurie Plant Meet was his first ever second position in eight months, and definitely not the senior debut he might have wished for.