Latest news with #Queensland-born
Indian Express
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Why the hype around Gout Gout, the teenage Australian sprinting sensation, is getting real by the minute
In his first senior race away from Australia, on his professional debut in the fabled European athletics circuit, Gout Gout ran a stunning 20.02s in the 200m race at Ostrava Golden Spike on Tuesday, to break his own Personal Best and Australian Record over that distance. The Queensland-born teenager of South Sudanese heritage — still only 17 — justified why the hype around him is getting harder to ignore with every passing event. His stunning finishing kick saw him overtake Cuba's Reynier Mena on the final stretch. The sprinter from Down Under is earning comparisons with Usain Bolt, which can be hit and miss as we have seen in the past with a few other young sprinters, but beyond the timings he is posting so early in his career, even the running style is being likened to the Jamaican legend. First, some background. Gout was born in Ipswich, near Brisbane, in Queensland state. His parents are South Sudanese immigrants who moved to Australia in 2005. At age 16 last December, Gout ran 20.04 seconds to win the 200 at the national high school championships and break a 56-year-old national record over that distance, set by 1968 Olympic silver medalist Peter Norman. In August last year, Gout caught the world's attention. At the Under-20 World Championships in Lima, he won a silver medal with a personal best of 20.60 seconds. Gout joined the big league of Next-Gen stars when Adidas signed him up after Lima. His timing at the Peruvian capital immediately raised his profile. Gout has already gone faster over 200m than Bolt did as an U18 athlete. Bolt's best U18 time is 20.13s, bettered only by USA's Erriyon Knighton (19.84), apart from Gout. The Aussie clocked 19.84 earlier this year but that had an illegal wind reading of +2.2 seconds. What's in a name? The commentator during Ostrava Golden Spike casually remarked at the start of the 200m race while introducing the athletes that Gout Gout is already popular, 'partly for the name and partly because he's just brilliant.' As strange as it sounds, the youngster's name has indeed been in the news. 'His name is Guot, it's supposed to be Guot,' his father Bona told 7NEWS last December. According to the report, Guot – to be pronounced as Gwot – became Gout 'due to an Arabic spelling mix-up by the Sudanese government'. 'When I see people called him Gout Gout, I'm not really happy for him,' Bona added. 'I know that Gout is a disease name, but I don't want my son to be called a disease name … it's something that's not acceptable.' Ripper of a finishing kick Gout's race in Ostrava once again made it clear that his biggest strength, especially over 200m where he seems destined for greatness even more so than 100m, is the speed after crossing the final bend. His reaction time off the block was pretty impressive, but he doesn't appear to be going all out in the first 100m of the race. It is the final stretch where the top-end speed mechanics kick in for him, and he's aware of it too. Gout is quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald: 'I knew Mena would come hard at me the first 100, but I was confident I'd be close enough to come home strongly in the second part of the race, which is of course my stronger part.' Already made headlines Gout has posted sub-20 timings over 200m, clocking 19.84s at the national championship at Perth in April but it couldn't be ratified as an official record because of the (barely) illegal wind measurement of +2.2m/s. He also ran a sub-10 (9.99s) over 100m that week in the U20 nationals with a higher wind-reading of +3.5m/s. Both those milestones feel like a matter of time anyway. The stylistic comparisons to Bolt haven't gone unnoticed. 'I do see it (comparison with Bolt). My stride length is pretty long, my knee height is pretty high and just the amount of tallness I get when I'm running. I'm just me trying to be me. Obviously, I do run like him (Bolt). I do sometimes look like him, but obviously I'm making a name for myself, and I think I've done that pretty well. I just want to continue doing that and continue to be not only Usain Bolt but continue to be Gout Gout,' he had told the Sydney Morning Herald. Europe sojourn Gout has had to time his European trip to coincide with mid-year school holidays for Class 12. Gout will race again in Europe next month before returning to Australia for some school work and preparation for the world championships in Tokyo in September. 'I don't feel any pressure. Because as soon as I step out on that track, it's just me by myself and what I've got to do — my favourite thing, and that's to run. So, I just go out there and run and nothing stops me from doing that … Get some more races in me and (the 20-second barrier) will drop for sure.' (With agency inputs) Vinayakk Mohanarangan is Senior Assistant Editor and is based in New Delhi. ... Read More
Irish Daily Mirror
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Gout Gout prepares to break Usain Bolt record after teenage sprinter's dominance
Teen sprint sensation Gout Gout has shattered the Australian 200m record during his senior international debut at the Golden Spike event in Czechia. The 17 year old clocked an impressive 20.02, inching closer to breaking the sub-20 mark before his 18th birthday, a feat reminiscent of Usain Bolt. Gout's first senior European outing in Ostrava on Tuesday was highly anticipated. The young speedster had already broken Peter Norman's long-standing Australian national 200m record with a time of 20.04 in December 2024 when he was just 16. Competing amongst Europe's top sprinters, he improved his own personal best. The Queensland-born superstar won the men's 200m race in a time of 20.02, finishing two-tenths ahead of Cuba's Reynier Mena, who secured the last two Diamond League 200m titles. Since breaking Norman's record last December, Gout has been causing quite a stir. He broke through the 20-second barrier in April with an impressive 19.84, securing the Australian 200m title. However, this run was aided by a wind speed of +2.2 metres per second, so it doesn't count as an official record, reports the Express. Gout's performances were again thwarted by excessive wind during the Australian Under-20 Athletics Championships in Perth. He clocked two sub-10 second 100m times, but they didn't make the record books. Nevertheless, Gout has now set a new official personal best in his favoured 200m at the Golden Spike event and was pleased with his performance. "I feel good. New personal best, new national record in my first European race," Gout declared. "I don't feel any pressure. Because as soon as I step out on that track, it's just me by myself and what I've got to do - my favourite thing, and that's to run." Gout's aspirations include tearing down the sub-20-second barrier in the 200m, and he's confident that with increased competition exposure, that milestone is well within his grasp. "I just go out there and run and nothing stops me from doing that," he asserted confidently. "[I need to] get some more races in me and [the 20-second barrier] will drop for sure." At just 17 years old, Gout's raw talent has drawn parallels to none other than Bolt, who blazed through his teenage years before shattering records on the Olympic stage. Bolt clocked a staggering 19.93 seconds in Bermuda back in 2004, mere months before his 18th birthday, setting a new World Junior 200m record. With his own 18th birthday on December 29, Gout has time on his side to either equal or surpass Bolt's mark. Yet, amidst all the buzz, he's keen to remind everyone that his journey is his own, and he's looking to set his unique mark in the annals of athletics history. "Although I do run like Usain Bolt and I do maybe look like him, I'm just trying to be myself and trying to be the next Gout," he revealed to Channel 7 in March. "I want to go to the big events. I want to go to the Olympics. I want to go to the '28 Olympics in LA. I want to go to the [2032] Brisbane Olympics. And I just want to show the world that I'm Gout and how I'm here to stay.
Daily Mirror
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Gout Gout tops another Usain Bolt feat but teen faces race to break 200m record
Gout Gout set a new Australian record for the 200m on his senior international debut, but the 17-year-old still has a way to go to match Usain Bolt's feat and smash through the sub-20 barrier Teenage sprinting prodigy Gout Gout has smashed the Australian 200m record during his senior international debut at the Golden Spike event in Czechia. The 17-year-old clocked a blistering 20.02, edging closer to breaking the sub-20 mark before his 18th birthday, much like Usain Bolt. Gout's first senior European outing in Ostrava on Tuesday was eagerly awaited. The young speedster had already shattered Peter Norman's long-standing Australian national 200m record with a time of 20.04 in December 2024 when he was just 16. Amongst Europe's elite sprinters, he bettered his own personal best. The Queensland-born superstar clinched the men's 200m race in a time of 20.02, finishing two-tenths ahead of Cuba's Reynier Mena, who bagged the last two Diamond League 200m titles. Since breaking Norman's record last December, Gout has been causing quite a stir. He broke through the 20-second barrier in April with an impressive 19.84, securing the Australian 200m title. However, this run was aided by a wind speed of +2.2 metres per second, so it doesn't count as an official record, reports the Express. Gout's performances were again thwarted by excessive wind during the Australian Under-20 Athletics Championships in Perth. He clocked two sub-10 second 100m times, but they didn't make the record books. Nevertheless, Gout has now set a new official personal best in his favoured 200m at the Golden Spike event and was pleased with his performance. "I feel good. New personal best, new national record in my first European race," Gout declared. "I don't feel any pressure. Because as soon as I step out on that track, it's just me by myself and what I've got to do - my favourite thing, and that's to run." Gout's aspirations include tearing down the sub-20-second barrier in the 200m, and he's confident that with increased competition exposure, that milestone is well within his grasp. "I just go out there and run and nothing stops me from doing that," he asserted confidently. "[I need to] get some more races in me and [the 20-second barrier] will drop for sure." At just 17 years old, Gout's raw talent has drawn parallels to none other than Bolt, who blazed through his teenage years before shattering records on the Olympic stage. Bolt clocked a staggering 19.93 seconds in Bermuda back in 2004, mere months before his 18th birthday, setting a new World Junior 200m record. With his own 18th birthday on December 29, Gout has time on his side to either equal or surpass Bolt's mark. Yet, amidst all the buzz, he's keen to remind everyone that his journey is his own, and he's looking to set his unique mark in the annals of athletics history. "Although I do run like Usain Bolt and I do maybe look like him, I'm just trying to be myself and trying to be the next Gout," he revealed to Channel 7 in March. "I want to go to the big events. I want to go to the Olympics. I want to go to the '28 Olympics in LA. I want to go to the [2032] Brisbane Olympics. And I just want to show the world that I'm Gout and how I'm here to stay."
Man of Many
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Man of Many
Watch Gout Gout Break the National 200m Record, Again
By Ben McKimm - News Published: 25 June 2025 Share Copy Link Readtime: 3 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here. We might have another Usain Bolt on our hands, and his name is Gout Gout. The 17-year-old Queensland-born sprinter has broken his own 200m National Record with a time of 20.02 seconds at an international debut in the Ostrava Golden Spike meet. 20.04s was what he set previously, breaking Peter Norman's record set at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Now, he's looking ahead to Europe and breaking the elusive 20-second barrier. 'Get some more races in me and it [20 seconds] will drop for sure,' said Gout after his first professional race at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet. 'I feel good. New personal best, new national record in my first European race.' To put this achievement in context. Usain Bolt holds the Ostrava Golden Spike 200m record of 19.83s, which is a time that he set as a 21-year-old when Gout was just six months old. Bolt also holds the men's 200m world record with a time of 19.19 seconds (2009) and the men's 100m world record with a time of 9.58 seconds (2009). Gout has previously run under 20 seconds in the 200m and under 10 seconds in the 100m at the Australian Athletics Championships. However, both results were waived off because of an illegal wind. Style-wise, Gout is a relatively slow starter like Usain Bolt. However, his signature slingshot off the bend once again proved to be enough against the competition, which saw competitors Reynier Mena finish in second (20.19s) ahead of Briton Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake in third (20.60s). 'I've felt stronger in training these last couple of months, and I've felt good since I got to Europe last Thursday,' said Gout after the race. 'I knew Mena would come hard at me the first 100, but I was confident I'd be close enough to come home strongly in the second part of the race, which is, of course, my stronger part.' 'I felt calm but strong as I came off the turn and was confident I'd be strong enough to get the win.' 'Another national record! Pretty happy with that, it's not a bad first-up in Europe!' Gout has already broken Usain Bolt's under-17 world junior championships record for the 200m, and the comparison to Bolt is uncanny. So much so that the man himself has weighed in on the conversation on social media, saying 'He looks like young me,' in an Instagram post shared by @ Now, it's only a matter of time before Gout breaks the 20-second barrier in the 200m, and Bolt's records will come next.
West Australian
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow touring to The Regal Theatre with Alex Ward
While she generally sees it as more of a blessing than a curse, comedian Alex Ward has a look which she calls 'pretty approachable'. 'I was once told I look like I work in every building I'm in,' she explains. 'So I'm constantly being approached by people, which gets me into these crazy conversations.' One such conversation was with Ward's eccentric neighbour after he invited her into his house one day. Her response during the interaction inspired her stand-up show Clip Clop Don't Stop at this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival. It was a welcome return for Ward, who after a decade on the comedy circuit had decided to step away from performing at the Melbourne event in 2024. 'I was just sort of going through the motions a bit and was a bit scared to take a year off, but it was exactly what I needed, because this year I just loved it so much,' 35-year-old Queensland-born, Melbourne-based Ward says. Ward will tour 20 minutes of her Clip Clop Don't Stop material to Perth as part of the 27th Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow line-up, alongside host Tom Ballard, Danielle Walker, Harry Jun and Takashi Wakasugi. 'They've really lined up quite a diverse group in a great way, so there'll be something for everyone,' Ward says, who is no stranger to the annual comedy road trip across Australia. 'It's such a unique experience I do not take for granted, where I get to see all sorts of places in Australia I absolutely otherwise wouldn't have thought to go. 'When I was a teenager, I remember seeing signs for the Roadshow coming to Brisbane and being like, 'Oh, wow' because I didn't know much about comedy. I just thought it was the gala every year. You can tell how much it means to the regional towns.' Ward's formative years were spent growing up in Ipswich — a place she cites as annoyingly famous for Pauline Hanson's fish and chip shop — before calling Brisbane home during her high school and university days, and much of her 20s. It was Ward's brother Tom who first started doing stand-up, and while others in the comedy scene suggested she would be good at it too, Ward did not want to copy her brother. 'But then he left Brisbane and about a year later someone was still telling me, 'There's hardly any girls doing it, you should do it' and so I gave it a crack,' recounts Ward, who is a regular guest contestant on Have You Been Paying Attention? 'I'd picked up this job working for geologists doing drafting. No offence to the geologists, lovely people, but I was so bored out of my brains in that job that I was inspired to do something else in my life. I hadn't felt that boredom before, so I was sort of driven to find a hobby, and I loved it.' The move to Melbourne in her late 20s not only proved successful for Ward's comedy career but also her relationship status, meeting graphic designer Hannah Conroy, who she married last November. 'We got engaged four years before the wedding, and it was definitely a lockdown engagement, because in Melbourne couples did one of two options: you broke up or you committed for life,' Ward says. 'When we got out of lockdown, we both realised 'Oh, we don't have to spend our money on a wedding. We can go back to going to bars and cafes.' So it got put off until we found this great venue just down the road, and that's what convinced us to finally get on with it, because it was actually rather convenient. 'Hannah's a graphic designer so I have a personal poster-maker at home for my shows. I'm not a very good client. Everyone else gets a certain number of revisions. I take full advantage of having unlimited revisions, and often it's my own fault. I'll be like, 'I want this hat, a little hat on me' and then a week later I'm like, 'What was I thinking?'' Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow is at The Regal Theatre on June 28. Tickets at
