There was something almost unkind about watching Gout Gout run against schoolboys. Yes, they are his contemporaries, but they are peers in age only. This was a peerless performance.
The gulf between Gout and the rest of the field was laughable. Gout powered down and jogged in the last 30 metres or so of his 200m heat and still ran 20.38 seconds. The next runner was almost a full second behind him running 21.30s.
Gout Gout after running his heat in 20.38 seconds on Saturday.Credit: Getty Images
Like Friday, when he ran his stunning 100m heat in 10.04 seconds at the Australian All Schools Championships with a tailwind of +3.4m/second at his back making his time unofficial again in his heat the wind had gusted up to +2.5. Anything over +2 is considered to offer too much assistance to the runner for the time to be official.
The longer sprint is currently Gout’s best event. His starts are notoriously poor which means he takes about 40 metres to gather into his stride. In the 100m, that meant that his back 60 metres was like a wind-rush and as quick as any sprinter – including adults – in the world. If and when he gets his start right, which is something that will come with strength and age, the scope for improvement is significant.
When you are already running times quicker than any juniors Australia has ever had – he already holds all of the under 16 and 18 100m and 200m records – that puts Gout in rare air.
He is chasing Peter Norman’s 200m record which is not only one of the most enduring records, but also one of the most famous moments in Australian sport. Norman ran 20.06s when he won silver at the Mexico Olympics in 1968 and was then on the dais with Tommie Smith and John Carlos for the human rights salute. Norman knew of the planned salute and wore a badge on his tracksuit in support.
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