MELBOURNE, April 23 — Rising sprint star Gout Gout has officially been named in Australia’s squad for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September.
MELBOURNE, April 23 — Rising sprint star Gout Gout has officially been named in Australia’s squad for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September.
The 17-year-old, whose parents hail from South Sudan, earned his spot in the 200 metres after a wind-assisted 19.84-second victory in Perth earlier this month — a performance that secured his first national title.
Gout’s meteoric rise has drawn comparisons to sprint legend Usain Bolt, and he’s quickly become the face of Australia’s athletics future, especially with the Brisbane 2032 Olympics on the horizon.
“I’m super excited to be selected to run the 200 in Tokyo at the World Championships,” Gout said in a statement from Athletics Australia. “That’s what we’ve been working towards. I’m really looking forward to September and competing against the world’s best.”
Joining him on the youthful squad is 18-year-old Cameron Myers, who recently won the 1,500m national title in Perth and earlier set a world-best indoor mile time for under-20 athletes (3:47.48) at the Millrose Games in New York.
Also included in the initial lineup is former world high jump champion and Olympic bronze medallist Eleanor Patterson, who will be aiming for her sixth major championship medal. Patterson claimed indoor silver in Nanjing this March, finishing behind fellow Australian Nicola Olyslagers.
Middle-distance standout Peter Bol, who finished fourth in the 800m at the Tokyo Olympics, also returns to the Japanese capital in top form after breaking the national record (1:43.79) at the recent Perth meet. — Reuters
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