Seventeen-year-old Australian sprinter Gout Gout, from Ipswich, has set his sights on dethroning Olympic and world champion Noah Lyles, who is ten years his senior. With confidence, Gout expressed his ambitions during a podcast appearance with Lyles, stating, “I’m trying to come out there with a bang” ahead of the upcoming world athletics championships in Tokyo.
Recently, Gout trained in Florida alongside Lyles and renowned coach Lance Brauman, thanks to an opportunity facilitated by Adidas, which sponsors both athletes. During their meeting, a delighted Lyles encouraged Gout to boldly declare his aspirations, reinforcing the importance of ambition in sport.
Gout has already made headlines after clocking an impressive 20.04 seconds for 200 metres in December, breaking the Australian record previously held by Peter Norman since the 1968 Olympics. This achievement also surpassed Usain Bolt’s record for a 16-year-old. He has qualified to represent Australia at the world championships from September 13-21.
Having recently secured silver at the world under-20 championships in Peru, Gout is gearing up to make his debut as a senior athlete at the Tokyo event. His next competition will be the Queensland championships in Brisbane from March 13-16, where he aims to further showcase his remarkable talent.