1 week Ago By Ben Smith
With one title under his belt, sprint sensation Gout Gout is licking his lips at the prospect of a showdown with fellow young gun Lachie Kennedy in the 200m at the Australian Athletics Championships. Gout, 17, lit up WA Athletics Stadium not once, but twice on Thursday when he recorded two runs of 9.99 seconds en route to the under-20 100m gold medal — only for both runs to be deemed unofficial due to illegal tailwinds.
Thursday night’s entree has whet the appetite for Perth and now attention shifts to Sunday’s main course: Gout’s run in the open 200m and a likely meeting with Kennedy. Their epic rivalry is the championships’ main event. Kennedy, 21, arrived in Perth in excellent form, having pipped Gout to the 200m crown at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne last month.
He also recorded a legal 10.04 time in the 100m on his last visit to Perth in March, and will start his campaign for the national crown on Friday when the heats get underway ahead of Saturday’s final. Gout said he was relishing the chance to go head-to-head with Kennedy again when the 200 got underway on Sunday.
“Hopefully (I can go) faster, but I guess we’ll find out on Sunday,” Gout said. “Definitely looking forward to it, we’ve got a great rivalry and just being out here in Perth it’s a great track, so I couldn’t be happier. “(I’ve been) working on my start, working on running smoothly and working on executing my race plan.
” Gout’s 100m final was watched by a captive audience in a packed grandstand, and Sunday’s potential duel with Kennedy will likely draw a similarly heaving crowd. It followed a sell-out for pair’s race at the Maurie Plant Meet, and amid several Australian track and field stars medalling at last year’s Olympics, Gout said he was thrilled to be part of the sport’s ascension. “It’s definitely great.
This is what athletics in Australia needs. This is what we wake up in the morning for, what we train for,” he said. “I couldn’t ask for anything better,r and the great crowds and everyone getting around it is definitely great.
So hopefully we get a lot more people.” WATCH ALL THE ACTION LIVE AND FREE ON 7PLUS.
