Australian sprint prodigy Gout Gout graciously accepted an apology from Lachlan Kennedy after being narrowly defeated in a 200-meter race over the weekend.
The teenage track star has been making waves in the sprinting world, having shattered a 56-year-old national record at just 16 years old. His blistering time of 20.04 seconds at the Australian All Schools Championship in Brisbane placed him firmly in the spotlight, with some even drawing comparisons to sprinting legend Usain Bolt. Gout has already competed against Olympian Noah Lyles and secured a lucrative sponsorship deal with Adidas, solidifying his status as one of Australia’s most promising young athletes. However, he was recently reminded that no runner is invincible.
At the Peter Norman Memorial 200m final on Saturday, Kennedy ran a personal best of 20.26 seconds to claim victory. Acknowledging the unexpected upset, Kennedy humbly apologized for interrupting the crowd’s expectations. “I just wanted to give them a good race,” he told reporters. “It wouldn’t be fun if he (Gout) just destroyed everyone. I’m sorry if it spoiled things, but what a great race you can’t be upset with that.”
Gout, though disappointed, embraced the lesson that comes with defeat. “Winning feels great, second feels bad, and third feels even worse,” he admitted. “So coming second is something you can experience. It definitely fuels my fire and ignites that burn.”
Despite frequent comparisons to Bolt, Gout prefers to stay grounded. Speaking to ‘7:30’, he downplayed the hype. “I don’t like talking about it,” he said. “I’m still a kid, still in high school, so you can’t expect too much from me.”
Australian sprinting icon Patrick Johnson, who holds the national 100m record, offered words of wisdom to Gout, encouraging him to focus on personal growth rather than external expectations. “He’s being compared to Usain Bolt and some of the best in the world, but I just tell him be yourself, mate,” Johnson said. “The journey in track and field is long, full of ups and downs. Let’s make sure we support him every step of the way.”
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