Teen sprint prodigy Gout Gout was edged out by rival Lachie Kennedy in the 200m at the Maurie Plant meet in Melbourne, a night that highlighted the growing popularity of athletics in Australia.
Competing in front of 10,000 spectators at a sold-out Lakeside Stadium the first full-capacity crowd at an Australian one-day athletics event in over 20 years 17-year-old Gout finished just 0.04 seconds behind fellow Queenslander Kennedy. Fresh off winning Australia’s first-ever 60m medal at the World Indoor Championships, Kennedy clocked a personal best of 20.26 seconds, maintaining his lead after a strong curve and narrowly holding off Gout at the finish.
The 21-year-old admitted he could feel Gout closing in but managed to hold on. “I just went out hard and did my best to keep him behind me,” Kennedy said. Meanwhile, Gout took the loss as motivation, acknowledging that their rivalry has pushed him to improve. “It’s not a new rivalry, but one I appreciate. I love competing against Lachie he’s also a Queenslander,” Gout said.
The Maurie Plant meet is one of Australia’s premier athletics events, setting the stage for the national championships in Perth in two weeks, where Gout and Kennedy will face off again. Gout is already looking forward to the rematch. “This fuels my fire I’ll train even harder to be ready for nationals,” he said.
Earlier in the evening, Kennedy had already secured a victory in the 100m, clocking 10.17 seconds despite windy conditions, beating national champion Seb Sultana and Rohan Browning, who finished third.
In the women’s 200m, Kristie Edwards dominated the bend and held on for victory, with Jessica Milat finishing second and Torrie Lewis placing a disappointing fifth.
Meanwhile, reigning Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo opted to compete in the 400m but was beaten into second place by his fellow Botswanan Bayapo Ndori, with Leungo Scotch completing a podium sweep for Botswana. Tebogo, who ran his season’s best in the longer distance, confirmed his focus is now back on the 200m for the northern hemisphere season. “We did what we wanted to do now it’s time to shift back to the 200m,” he said.
In middle-distance events, teenage sensation Cameron Myers surged ahead in the final lap of the men’s 1500m, holding off Adam Spencer for victory. “The conditions were tough, but I fought through,” Myers said. In the women’s 1500m, 19-year-old Claudia Hollingsworth powered down the home straight to outpace Sarah Billings, Linden Hall, and Abbey Caldwell, setting a season’s best time. “It was a wild race with lots of movement, but I got the job done,” she said.
Two-time Olympian Ellie Beer capped off an outstanding week by winning the women’s 400m in a personal best of 51.35 seconds, finishing more than a second and a half ahead of the competition. The 22-year-old had recently helped Australia secure bronze in the women’s 4x400m relay at the World Indoor Championships.
In the field events, Eleanor Patterson took advantage of Nicola Olyslagers’ absence to dominate the women’s high jump, clearing 1.94m. Olympic bronze medallist Matt Denny impressed in the discus, throwing 68.17m just shy of his national record.
The electric atmosphere at Lakeside Stadium made for an unforgettable evening. “Looking up at the packed stands and landing a great throw—this is one of the top three moments of my career,” Denny said.
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