Gout Gout has been blown away in the men's 200 metres at the Oslo Diamond League meet, with Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo claiming an easy victory. In his Diamond League debut, the Australian phenom could only manage sixth as he lacked the acceleration to hang with the fastest men in the world.
Race Recap
Gout was slow out of the blocks with his race over almost in the opening 20m. As Tebogo kicked off the bend and careered away for an easy victory in a season's best 19.84 seconds, Gout was floundering back behind his rivals and missing his trademark finishing burst, clocking 20.60 seconds. The time is well outside the Australian record mark of 19.67 seconds he set in April.
Gout's Reaction
Speaking after the race, the 18-year-old said Tebogo was too good but declared he would be back. “Tebogo is a great athlete, I’ve looked up to him for a long time, and he deserved the win today,” Gout said. “There’s definitely a lot more room for me to improve but I have plenty of time on my side. There’s always pressure on me, but all I do is try my best and keep focusing on just having fun. I love competing against the big boys, and I’ll be back for sure – I put no limits on myself.”
Tebogo's Advice
However, Tebogo, who is only four years Gout's senior, told the Australian teenager to go back to his age group, declaring he “still has a long way to go”. “After the race, I wanted to talk to Gout Gout but he is so busy with all the media,” Tebogo said. “First and foremost, he should not get comfortable racing with the seniors. He still has a long way to go. He should by all means, play with his age mates where he is a bit more comfortable because the more he runs, the more he pushes and the more injuries he is going to get. I hope his management, the coaches and everybody around him will advise that because that is what worked for me. I have seen a lot of people my age racing with seniors, and it did not go well for them. I believe I am the only one still standing from Kenya through Calli (2022 world junior championships) until now and running with the seniors.”
Background
The gap in class between Tebogo, who won the 200m gold at the Paris Olympics, and Gout was evident. Last year, Gout had a taste of European glory, winning on debut in Ostrava in a new Australian record time of 20.02 seconds. He then went on to win the under-23 event at the Monaco Diamond League. The Australian would then make the semi-finals at the world championships in Tokyo. However, as evidenced at the Diamond League, while Gout is an incredible talent, he still has a long way to go to compete with the fastest men in the world.
