Gout Gout Gets a Reality Check From Track & Field Journalist Amidst Brutal Loss From Lachlan Kennedy

There have been few others who took the world of track and field by storm as quickly as Gout Gout. After all, the 17-year-old wonder kid from Queensland has been simply sensational. From running sub-10-second 100m sprints to breaking decade-old records, the youngster is all set to be the Next Usain Bolt. But while he did dominate in his latest showing at the Australian Championships with a 20.87-second 200m win, not everyone is part of the hype train just yet. Why? Well, the answer to that might be traced back to last month.

After all, on March 29 at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne, Gout took a rare loss, finishing second in the 200m to Lachlan Kennedy. After this unexpected loss, the crowd let loose, questioning if the hype train’s gone off the rails. Enter Colin Waitzman, an analyst with Track World News, who’s stepping up to defend Gout, urging fans to ease up and look at the kid’s massive potential. So, what’s fueling the online heat, and why is Waitzman keeping the faith?

“A lot of people all over social media and on Twitter… are saying, Oh man, we’re hyping up all these windy times, you’re hyping up these people,” journalist Waitzman observed. Fans griped that Gout’s wind-aided times, like his 20.29s 200m at the Queensland Championships, set expectations too high. The skeptics have a point, sort of. “We’ve seen multiple people… that have had the hype… at 16, 17 years old [but fade later],” Waitzman added, nodding to past teen stars who didn’t pan out.

Gout’s loss stung because fans want him to be the guy now. At 17, he’s got the speed (10.17s 100m PB, legal), but racing against grown men like Kennedy showed he’s still green. Is the criticism just noise or a wake-up call? Gout’s Still a Beast. Not so fast, says Waitzman. Let’s talk facts: “19.84 at 17 years old—that’s crazy… It’s still incredibly impressive.” He’s hyping Gout’s wind-assisted 200m at the 2025 Australian Championships, where Gout snagged the open-age 200m title.

Sure, it didn’t count as a record, but only American Erriyon Knighton’s run was faster as a teen. Waitzman’s got no time for haters: “Just because he’s a pro at 17 doesn’t make it less impressive. We didn’t say that about LeBron.” Translation? Greatness takes time. Losses like Maurie Plant? They’re just fuel. “These are the steps we take to the top,” Gout said after Perth. And just a few days after, he proved it right by running sub-20.

Gout Stuns Again With Sub-20 Second 200m Victory

Well, after the fall, there definitely comes the rise. The young Aussie electrified the 2025 Australian Athletics Championships in Perth. Not only that, he blazed to a 19.84-second 200m to claim the national title. Despite a pesky +2.2 m/s tailwind—barely over the legal limit—robbing him of an official sub-20 record, Gout’s run was historic. It also made him the second-fastest U20 sprinter ever in all conditions, behind only Erriyon Knighton.

“Top speed is my gift. I used it, took off, and I got sub-20, so I couldn’t be happier,” Gout said, shrugging off the wind drama with a grin. The race wasn’t without twists—rival Lachlan Kennedy, who’d edged him at the Maurie Plant Meet, was disqualified for a false start, denying fans a hyped-up rematch. Still, Gout seized the moment, gapping the field by over half a second.

“It’s frustrating,” he admitted, but his focus is clear: keep chasing legal sub-20s and sub-10s. With the Stawell Gift up next, Gout’s got Aussies dreaming big—maybe even Brisbane 2032. After all, many have raised many questions on the authenticity of Gout’s prowess. And while he has silenced a few critics back at Perth, he needs to go the full mile to calm the mill once and for all. Can he do it? We think yes!