TOKYO: Gout Gout shared a stage with Olympic champions this week, strutting his stuff within the firm of Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo on the world athletics championships within the capital of Japan.
His subsequent competitors? A Queensland faculty meet at Mt Gravatt within the southern suburbs of Brisbane subsequent month. And he’ll be pulling out his pencil case a number of days later, prepared to sit down his 12 months 12 exams.
“It positively feels loopy [thinking about the] two sides of the identical coin,” Gout mentioned after bowing out within the semi-finals of the boys’s 200 metres on Thursday night time.
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“I am going again to highschool and these individuals are going again to their properties, going again to their jobs.
“So it is positively loopy.”
The press pack surrounding the schoolboy, by the best way, absolutely totalled greater than a pair dozen, and journalists from everywhere in the globe had crammed in to listen to from him.
Lyles, the reigning Olympic champion within the 100 metres, was the following man by the media zone. He arrived solely a second or two after Gout had strolled off.
He was shocked by the dimensions of the pack ready to fireplace off questions.
Gout Gout after bowing out within the semi-finals of the boys’s 200 metres in Tokyo. Getty
Gout completed fourth in his warmth in 20.36 seconds. It wasn’t sufficient to nab a spot in Friday night time’s remaining, however he took inventory and let it sink in that he is nonetheless solely 17.
Later within the night time, he sat within the stands to observe the athletics, flanked by his supervisor and coach. He held up his cellphone to take a selfie, making the peace signal as his straightforward smile bared his massive pearly whites.
“It positively makes you hungry, figuring out that I am only a child proper now, however figuring out that I can nonetheless compete [with men] as a child,” Gout mentioned.
“And the factor I’ve on them is I’ve bought time. They might not have 15 years, however I’ve bought 15 years.”
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Fifty-two athletes have been entered within the males’s 200m. Gout, at 17, was the youngest. The second-youngest was an 18-year-old from South Africa. He dropped out within the heats.
The youngest of the semi-finalists barring Gout, a pair of Jamaicans, flip 22 earlier than the 12 months is out.
The most well liked gold-medal prospects, Tebogo and Lyles, are 22 and 28.
“I do know that if I can do that at 17, I can do that at 25 as properly,” Gout mentioned.
“And I will be even higher at 25, so it is positively nice to know that this week.”
The 2 automated qualifying spots on provide in Gout’s warmth have been devoured up by Jamaican Bryan Levell, who flashed by it in 19.78, and Tebogo, the reigning Olympic gold medallist within the 200m.
Gout did not decrease his nationwide report in Tokyo — a report he is held since breaking Peter Norman’s 56-year-old mark when he was nonetheless solely 16 — however he is drawn widespread reward for getting so far as the semi-finals, and deservedly so.
Noah Lyles celebrates profitable his warmth of the 200m semi-finals. Getty
His Tokyo marketing campaign, his maiden senior championships in inexperienced and gold, was a golden studying alternative.
“I will take away every little thing, for positive,” Gout mentioned.
“I will take away the way to deal with the strain, the way to deal with proper earlier than the blocks, the way to deal with the decision room — simply every little thing about it, you understand?”
He’s a diligent scholar of the craft coached by Di Sheppard — the woman who noticed him dashing by the schoolyard at Ipswich Grammar Faculty in 12 months seven and knew she’d noticed a gem.
“All of the belongings you would not actually count on a few world championships is what I am going to remove, for positive,” Gout added.
And what was the largest eye-opener?
Gout Gout takes off. Getty
“The largest eye-opener is figuring out that I can compete on the younger age I’m in opposition to one of the best males on the planet,” he mentioned.
Lyles, inevitably, had some phrases on Gout pried out of him.
Gout spent two weeks coaching with Lyles and the American’s coach, Lance Brauman, in Florida early within the 12 months.
“What do you make of him at 17?” one reporter requested.
“He is extra proficient than I used to be!” Lyles beamed.
“He is an incredible child, he is bought a fantastic head on him, he is bought a fantastic staff round him.
“It will be attention-grabbing to see how he develops … I would say the longer term seems brilliant.”
