Gout responds to those who called his record-breaking run ‘fake’
Australian sprint star Gout Gout has responded to people calling his record-breaking 200m run “fake.” The 18-year-old, known as one of the most talented sprinters of his generation, made history by becoming the first Australian to run 200m in under 20 seconds. On Sunday (April 12), he ran an amazing 19.67 seconds with a legal tailwind of +1.7 meters per second.
His time was even faster than Usain Bolt’s at the same age, which grabbed lots of attention. But some, like American sprinter Erin Brown, doubted his achievement, wrongly saying the tailwind was illegal and the run was “fake.” In fact, if the wind is over +2.0 meters per second, the run isn’t allowed, but Gout’s wind reading was legal at -1.7m/s during the race in Sydney.
After running 10.19 seconds in the 100m heats at the Australian Athletics Junior Championships in Brisbane, Gout addressed the criticism. “There will always be haters. If they hate, it means you’re doing something right,” he told reporters. “I don’t take it personally, I just keep running. It was a fast run, so maybe that’s why they’re upset.” He added, “It pushes me to try even harder and run faster.”
After Gout’s record-breaking run, Olympic champion Justin Gatlin encouraged him to prove himself overseas. “You’ve got to do it outside Australia. Show us you can perform outside your comfort zone,” Gatlin said. “Anyone can run fast at home, but can you do it when it’s tough? That’s the real test, and it will be a challenge for him.”
Last year, Gout made history by competing at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, becoming the youngest sprinter ever to race the 200m there. He finished third in his heat with 20.22 seconds and made it to the semi-finals but didn’t reach the final after running 20.38 seconds.