- Michael Johnson says it’s fun to think about Aussie potential
- Sprintlegende emphasized that Gout needs a solid team around him
- Gout Gout broke the long-standing record this weekend
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson has given his thoughts on the performance and hype surrounding Australian teen sprint sensation Gout Gout.
The 16-year-old broke Peter Norman’s 56-year-old Australian All Schools Athletics Championships record last weekend in the 200m final, recording a blistering time of 20.04.
He also clocked a wind-assisted time of 10.04 seconds in his 100m heat, which was the fifth fastest time by an Australian in history in all conditions.
Gout has since become the name on everyone’s lips, with former track star and TV identity Matt Shirvington suggesting the prodigy has more potential than Olympic legend Usain Bolt.
Usain Bolt himself responded to the hype surrounding Gout Gout, replying to a post on Jumper’s World with the simple comment: “He looks like a young me.”
Now Olympic sprint champion Michael Johnson has delivered his verdict – and stressed the importance of keeping his feet on the ground with Gout.
Gout Gout, 16, broke Norman’s long-standing record in the 200 meters at the Australian All School Athletics Championships in Brisbane
Athletics legend Michael Johnson has praised the Australian teenager
Johnson posted on X: “Peter Norman was one of my heroes. Hard to believe no Australian has run faster than 20.06 in the last 56 years!
‘Great performances! Nice to think about his potential. But even with such great potential, realizing it is something else entirely.
‘The greater the potential, the greater the risk. He will need a solid team around him to help him navigate the journey.”
The sage advice comes after Athletics Australia president Jane Flemming stated the sporting body will try to “tone down” the hype surrounding teenage stars.
Flemming – who won gold medals in the heptathlon and long jump at the Commonwealth Games – stressed expectations should not reach manic levels.
“You can imagine the moment he gets every sporting code, every agent, every commercial entity, they’re all chasing him and he hasn’t even completed Year 11 yet,” she told 2GB’s Wide World of Sports.
“Part of our responsibility as an organization is to ensure that the young man reaches his 30s in good physical and mental condition, so we have to try to tone it down…make sure he goes back to school, interacts with his parents. friends, having a good time with it, while still making progress.
‘It’s a long road. Rightly so, he will probably make it to the world championships next year and then the Olympics and another Olympics and maybe another Olympics after that.”
Johnson, one of the greatest sprinters ever, says Gout has great potential, but realizing it is something else entirely
The Queenslander has got the country talking in recent days with electrifying performances
Flemming added that Athletics Australia wants to see Gout “have a long and fruitful career” – and the young player is fortunate to have a “fantastic coach in Di Sheppard.”
Andrew Faichney, general manager of Athletics Australia, said there was no ceiling on what Gout Gout could achieve.
“He is a great talent and is being well nurtured by his coach Di Sheppard and by our high performance system,” Faichney said in a statement.
‘His silver medal at the Under-20 World Cup already showed us that he has what it takes to compete internationally.
“The world is his oyster and we look forward to seeing what he can do in the coming years as he makes his mark on his first senior teams.”