Battered Gout Gout pulls out of race, heading home
Gout Gout has withdrawn from a 200-metre race in the United States because of back stiffness just under two months out from the world under-20 athletics championships.
The 18-year-old sprint sensation from Ipswich will head home to get his body right before jetting out again, with his sights set on winning gold in the 200m at the world under-20 championships in Eugene, Oregon in August.
Gout Gout at the Oslo Diamond League this month. Getty
Gout was locked in for the 200m at the prestigious Prefontaine Classic, which doubles as the Eugene Diamond League, on July 5 (AEST).
The under-20 world record holder in the 200m was set to again face off against Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, the gold medallist in the 200m at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
But on Tuesday, six days after his record-breaking 150m run at the Ostrava Golden Spike in Czechia, his name has dropped off the Prefontaine Classic entry lists.
“Unfortunately Gout has had to withdraw from running in Prefontaine on 4 July,” Gout’s manager, James Templeton, confirmed with nine.com.au.
“Since a trip to Florida at the end of April he has had some stiffness with his back.
“It’s not a major injury, but there have been too many weeks of training at less than full capacity.
“Ostrava last Tuesday was a good run however he’s pulled up a bit stiff.
“He’s returning to Brisbane for a bit of treatment and to prepare for the world under-20s in Eugene early August.”
Gout chose to miss the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, beginning on July 23, to prioritise his bid for gold in his final world under-20 championship campaign.
The Queenslander will run in the 200m and 4x400m relay at the junior world championships.
He opened his international season this month with a disappointing 200m at the Oslo Diamond League, finishing sixth in 20.60 seconds.
Gout Gout celebrates his record-breaking 150m run at the Ostrava Golden Spike in Czechia this month. Getty
In a post-race interview that pricked ears, Tebogo urged Gout to stick to racing against sprinters his own age.
“First and foremost, he shouldn’t get comfortable racing with the seniors,” Tebogo told Citius Magazine.
“He still has a long way to go. He should by all means play with his age mates where he is a bit comfortable, because the more he runs with us, the more we push, the more injuries he is going to get.
“I hope the management, the coaches and everybody around him will advise that because that’s what worked for me, and I believe it will also work for him.
“I have seen a lot of people my age racing with the seniors, and then it didn’t go well for them.”
Gout bounced back in impressive fashion at the Ostrava Golden Spike last week, finishing third in a 150m race in 14.96 seconds.
He ran the fastest 150m time by an Australian on record and set a new world under-20 record.
In a mind-spinning run at the national athletics championships in Sydney in April, he clocked 19.67 seconds to break the under-20 world record in the 200m.
While Gout won’t be running at the Prefontaine Classic, another 18-year-old prodigy has been added to the 200m entry list in American Tate Taylor.
Taylor, with a 200m personal best of 19.94, is the fourth-fastest under-20 athlete in history, behind Gout (19.67), Erriyon Knighton (19.69) and the greatest of all time, Jamaican legend Usain Bolt (19.93).
