- ‘Salty’ US athletes aren’t buying into Gout Gout hype
- Includes 100m Olympic gold medallist Justin Gatlin
Teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout has a message for those questioning his scintillating 200m performance at the recent national championships – ‘there’s always going to be haters.’
Gout, 18, clocked a sizzling 19.67 seconds in Sydney – a time quicker than athletics legend Usain Bolt at the same age.
But the likes of former Olympic gold medallist Justin Gatlin and US College sprinter Erin Brown have cast doubt on Gout’s glittering achievement, with the latter incorrectly stating the Brisbane teenager was significantly aided by an illegal tailwind.
The 200m run was legal, with a 1.7m/s tailwind at Sydney Olympic Park.
Brown also declared Gout will be a ‘laughing stock’ and has been ‘set up for failure’ when he competes overseas in Diamond League meets later this year in Oslo and Oregon.
‘I thought we really witnessed something special… a million people text me, man, Gout Gout just ran 19.6,’ Brown told his social media followers.
Teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout has a message for those questioning his scintillating 200m run at the recent national championships – ‘there’s always going to be haters’
Gout, 18, clocked a sizzling 19.67 seconds to win the 200m final in Sydney easily – and it was a time quicker than athletics legend Usain Bolt at the same age
‘That made me inclined to go check the results. ‘Not gonna lie, and if you say this s**t is hating, your ass is coping, because you wanna be different.
‘This s**t is clearly fake. Obviously, overtly, this is as fake as it comes.’
Gatlin – who snared gold in the 100m at the Athens Olympics in 2004 – wasn’t as brutal, but he wants to see Gout perform overseas before declaring the Aussie is the real deal.
On Friday, Gout was questioned by journalists about some ‘salty’ comments emerging from America – and he laughed off the criticism.
‘There are always going to be haters, if you’ve got haters it means you’re doing something right,’ he said.
‘It is what it is, I never take it (to heart), I just keep running… obviously, it (200m time) was pretty fast, so that’s maybe why they (haters) were a bit mad.
‘It motivates me to do it in even bigger races, for sure.’
On Saturday afternoon at the Australian Junior Championships, Gout will turn his attention to the semi-finals of the 100m – and he is ready to put on a show.
Gout Gout’s triumph in Sydney prompted US track star Erin Brown (pictured, right) to suggest the time over 200m was ‘fake’ and wind assisted
Lachlan Kennedy broke the 10-second barrier in Sydney twice last week and is forming a fierce rivalry with Gout
Rival Lachlan Kennedy broke the 10-second barrier in Sydney twice last week – and Gout is confident he can follow suit at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre.
‘I definitely have more in the tank,’ Gout said.
‘Hopefully, the wind stays pretty calm, and anything’s possible. The body is feeling fine… I have definitely saved myself for finals. I can’t wait.’
The 100m semi-finals begin from 12pm AEDT on Saturday, with the final to follow at 2.20pm.
