IF YOU HAVEN’T heard of Gout Gout by now, then you probably don’t own a mobile phone or watch the news. The Queensland teenager has taken the track and field world by storm this year, with his feats over the weekend in the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships his most astonishing yet.
First, the 16-year-old ran a wind-assisted 10.04 in the heat of his 100m, the fifth fastest time by an Australian of any age and fourth fastest ever by any athlete under the age of 18. He followed that up with a run of 10.17 in the final.
Then, in the 200m, Gout broke Peter Norman’s 56-year-old 200m Australian record, running 20.04. That time is faster than Usain Bolt’s 20.13sec set in 2003 and the second fastest time in history by an athlete under the age of 18, behind American Erriyon Knighton’s 19.84sec. Gout’s time would have seen him finish fifth in the World Athletics championships in Budapest last year.
“I’ve been chasing that record … I didn’t think it would come this year!” Gout said post-race. “As soon as the gun went, I was flying. It’s pretty crazy. Right now, I can’t really process it.”
The Ipswich teenager dropped down on one knee and signalled to the sky after his historic run, before telling reporters to “remember it”. Anyone who saw it is unlikely to forget it.
Clearly Gout is Australia’s most exciting young male track and field prospect in years, maybe ever. Here’s what you need to know about the boy with the world at his feet.
How does Gout Gout’s 100m time compare to other Australian sprinters?
Gout’s unofficial time has only been bettered by Patrick Johnson (9.88, 3.6m/s wind), Rohan Browning (9.96, 3.3m/s), Tim Jackson (10.00, 4.3m/s) and Matt Shirvington (10.03, -0.1m/s). Sprinters are allowed a maximum 2m/s tail wind for a time to count. The official fastest Oceania times are Johnson’s 9.93 (1.8m/s) in 2003, followed by Browning’s 10.01 (0.8m/s) and Shirvington’s 10.03.
Where was Gout Gout born?
Gout was born in Ipswich, Queensland in 2007, two years after his parents Bona and Monica arrived in Australia after leaving Egypt, where they had been refugees after leaving war torn South Sudan. Gout is third of seven children and attends Ipswich Grammar School.
Gout’s dad, Bona, was a law student in South Sudan before the family fled the country. He now works in food technology at Ipswich Hospital and drives an Uber.
Gout shares a room with his eldest brother, Mawjen, who was born in South Sudan in 2001 shortly before the family left the country. After fleeing Sudan, Gout’s family had a choice of migrating to either Australia or Canada. They chose Australia as other Sudanese friends the family had made in Egypt were coming here. Safe to say, Australian track and field officials are very glad they did.
How did Gout Gout start out in athletics?
Gout was discovered by coach Di Sheppard as a 13-year-old. “I saw him running on the oval and there was just something about him and the way he moved,” she recalled of first seeing Gout as a 13-year-old in The Guardian. “I couldn’t pinpoint it, but gut instinct just screamed at me: who’s that kid?”
The answer is a phenomenon. Gout has been knocking off age records two years his senior for a while now. At 15, he claimed the 200m U18 record. In August, he won the silver medal at the U20 world championships – he lost to 18-year-old South African Bayanda Walaza. In the wake of that performance, he landed a sponsorship contract with Adidas.
How do you pronounce Gout Gout’s name?
Gout may already be on his way to becoming a household name, but it appears most of us have been getting that name wrong. Gout’s dad Bona told 7News his son’s name is actually Guot and is pronounced “Gwot”. Gout’s parents want to change his name back to the original spelling and pronunciation, so their son isn’t associated with the disease gout. Fair enough. His dad explained Guot became Gout due to an Arabic spelling mix-up when the parents fled to Egypt.
Double names are common in Sudanese culture, says Gout. “In our culture it is common for one child to have a double name. My friend’s name is Deng Deng and there is Bol Bol [NBA player] as well,” he said. “People who don’t know me personally call me Gout Gout, but my friends just call me Gout. Or GG.”
What does Usain Bolt think about Gout Gout?
The Jamaican sprint GOAT told fans: “He looks like young me” – when asked to share his thoughts on the 16-year-old. It doesn’t get any better than that. Gout replied to Bolt’s post on Instagram with a fire emoji and reposted it to his own stories.
Bolt’s record 200m world record of 19.19 seconds was set in 2009. As he told Men’s Health earlier this year: “Anybody who has a world record hopes it lasts forever.”
Maybe it will, or maybe Gout will one day challenge it.
What does Gout Gout think about Usain Bolt comparisons?
“I do see it [the Bolt similarity],” Gout admitted to Nine when asked about the comparisons. While Gout is currently only 180.3 centimetres compared to Bolt, who is 195.6 centimetres, he looks tall when he runs, has a similarly long stride and crucially, is likely still growing, which will help him run faster in the future. “My stride length is pretty long, my knee height is pretty high and just the amount of tallness I get when I’m running. I’m just me trying to be me. Obviously, I do run like him. I do sometimes look like him, but obviously I’m making a name for myself, and I think I’ve done that pretty well. I just want to continue doing that and continue to be not only Usain Bolt but continue to be Gout Gout.”
How does Gout Gout train?
According to Athletics Australia, Gout’s training as a 15-year-old involved both speed and speed endurance sessions throughout the week with three days of recovery weaved in.
Gout and Sheppard are focusing on improving the sprinter’s start. He may have gone sub 10 seconds in the 100m at the Schoolboys championships if he’d got out of the blocks faster. He’s also looking to get to his top speed quicker because once he hits it, it’s usually game over.
Can Gout Gout win an Olympic gold medal?
He’s certainly on track. Based on the times he’s posted so far, Gout will more than likely qualify for LA2028. Whether or not he can contend for a medal there remains to be seen, as he’ll still only be 20 years of age. By Brisbane2032, however, he’ll be 24 and entering his prime.
“We talk about it [breaking 10 seconds] because to us, it’s a given,” says Sheppard. But to us, it’s still over here [in the distance]. When it happens, it happens, and if it happens early – because everything’s happening sooner than we expected – it happens early.”
Gout, meanwhile, is clear in his ambitions: “We’re aiming for double gold. That’s the plan in Brisbane,” he said.
What’s next for Gout Gout?
Later this month, Gout will travel to Florida, to train for two weeks with Olympic champion Noah Lyles and his coach Lance Brauman. He could qualify for the world championships in Tokyo next year running against men.
Otherwise, he’ll be focusing on his studies as he completes his final year at Ipswich Grammar. After that, the sky really is the limit, as he told the Sydney Morning Herald: “As a kid I never thought I could be anyone, and now I’m on the path to being someone great so it definitely touches my heart closely, and I just want to show the world what I can do.”
Instagram – @gout.goutt
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