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Gout Gout admits he doesn’t enjoy the Usain Bolt comparisons (Image: Cameron Spencer/
Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout received an unexpected apology from Lachlan Kennedy after being beaten in a 200-metre dash over the weekend. Gout has been setting the athletics world alight, having shattered a massive 56-year-old national record when he was just 16. The sprinter, who has been compared to Usain Bolt, beat Pete Norman’s longstanding Australian 200m record with a 20.04 second time at the Australian All Schools Championship in Brisbane.
Recently, Gout has raced alongside Olympian Noah Lyles and inked a lucrative sponsorship deal with Adidas. Yet, the young athlete proved he’s not invincible last weekend, succumbing to fellow Queenslander on the track.
Kennedy won the Peter Norman Memorial 200m final on Saturday, clocking a personal best of 20.26 and subsequently apologising for spoiling the party. He told reporters: “I just wanted to give them [the crowd] a good race.
“It wouldn’t be fun if he (Gout) just destroyed everyone. I’m sorry if it did spoil it, but what a great race, you can’t be upset with that.”
Reflecting on his rare defeat, an upset Gout acknowledged the motivation of coming in second place. He said: “People will say winning feels great, second feels bad and third feels even worse.
“So coming second is something you can experience. And it definitely puts fuel to my fire and it lights that burn.”
The Australian has been making waves on the track and even drawing comparisons with sprint king Usain Bolt, but he is staying grounded amidst the hype. The rising star admitted he didn’t enjoy the Bolt similarities, as he told 7:30: “I don’t like speaking about it.”
He added: “To be honest, I just keep it simple. I’m still a kid, still in high school, so you can’t expect too much from me.”
Usain Bolt is regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time (Image: Getty)
Australian sprint legend Patrick Johnson – the national record holder for the 100 metres dash – has also shared his thoughts on Gout’s rising fame. With his unique insight, Johnson gave some advice to the young athlete, stressing the importance of personal development over fame.
The 52-year-old said: “He is having his own expectations that he’s compared to Usain Bolt and maybe some of the best in the world, and I’m just saying, ‘be yourself mate’.
“In six years, Gout Gout is going to be 24 and there’s a lot that can happen in six years. There’s a long journey in track and field, there’s a lot of ups and downs and every race can’t be a PB, so let’s make sure we support them at every step.”
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