Gout Gout Breaks Record To End School Sprint Career And Magic Year On High

Sad and grateful was really athletics prodigy Gout Gout farewelled his inferior profession and 1 of nan astir dazzling years connected nan way for an Australian sprinter.

The 17-year-old thanked his coach Di Sheppard and Ipswich Grammar School for nan chaotic thrust arsenic he signed disconnected arsenic a schoolboy jock by breaking his ain meet grounds astatine nan GPS Track and Field Championships successful Brisbane connected Friday.

Gout skipped his pet 200m arena to tally nan 400m and 4x100m relay astatine nan meet, and things almost didn’t spell to script.

Brisbane Grammar School’s Seth Kennedy had earlier surgery Gout’s 200m GPS grounds successful a stunning 20.64s, and he pushed nan Ipswich prima to his afloat capacity successful nan one-lap event.

Gout collapsed his ain meet grounds to triumph successful a personal-best 46.14, conscionable a lunge up of Kennedy (46.64), who was besides nether nan aged mark.

Gout was proud to decorativeness connected a precocious statement astatine nan Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, wherever he first captured nan world’s attention.

“This is nan spot wherever I recovered my speed,” he said.

“It decidedly feels sad, but I’m decidedly grateful.”

Gout Gout (centre) from Ipswich Grammar School celebrates aft winning nan boys unfastened 400m last during nan Greater Public Schools way and section championships astatine Queensland. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

It was unclear really overmuch training Gout had nether his loop aft taking a short break pursuing nan world athletics championships.

That he had capable successful nan vessel to conflict disconnected specified a fierce situation from nan lane adjacent doorway said volumes for his characteristic and professionalism.

“I conscionable can’t hold to spell connected that adjacent journey. For me, it’s nan world stage,” Gout said.

The meet was a landmark for Gout connected astatine slightest 2 fronts.

It was his last quality successful nan candy-striped reddish and achromatic singlet of IGS, nan schoolhouse astatine which he had group astatine slightest 5 GPS records successful a memorable precocious schoolhouse career.

It was besides a coda to a dizzying 12-month play during which Gout seized nan attraction of nan athletics world.

In December he collapsed nan 56-year-old Australian 200m grounds group by Peter Norman astatine nan 1968 Mexico Olympics, clocking 20.04 successful Brisbane.

In nan months that followed he lowered that grounds to 20.02, dipped nether 20 seconds for nan 200m and 10 seconds for nan 100m – pinch nan thief of forbidden tailwinds – reached nan semi-finals of his pet arena astatine nan World Athletics Championships successful Tokyo, and won his first unfastened nationalist title.