Teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout has declared that criticism from doubters is driving him to chase further athletics history at the Australian Athletics Junior Championships in Brisbane. The 18-year-old clocked 10.19 seconds in the 100m heats on Friday, setting himself up for a shot at becoming only the third Australian to break the elusive 10-second barrier.
Gout, who last week ran 19.67 in the 200m to become the first Australian to legally dip under 20 seconds and break Usain Bolt's under-20 world record, has faced skepticism from Olympic champion Justin Gatlin. Gatlin questioned whether Gout could replicate his performances outside Australia, saying, 'You can run fast in comfort, everyone can run fast in comfort. But can you run fast in discomfort?'
Responding to Gatlin's remarks, Gout said, 'There's always going to be haters. If there's haters, it means you are doing something right.' He added that the criticism motivates him to 'do an even bigger race and run even faster.'
Looking ahead to Saturday's semi-final and final at the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre, Gout expressed confidence in achieving a sub-10 time, bettering his personal best of 10.00 set at the same venue in February. 'One hundred per cent. Hopefully the wind stays pretty calm and anything is possible,' he said.
Gout noted that he conserved energy in the heats, stating, 'I definitely saved myself for the semis and finals. I definitely have more in the tank for sure.' He aims to continue his impressive form and 'put on a bit of a show' for the crowd.
