Teenage sprinter Gout Gout has been selected to represent Australia at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September.
The 17-year-old, whose parents are from South Sudan, will compete in the 200 metres. He earned his place on the team after winning his first national title in Perth earlier this month, where he ran a wind-assisted time of 19.84 seconds.
Gout, who is from Queensland, has been compared to sprinting legend Usain Bolt and is now seen as the rising star of Australian athletics. With the Brisbane Olympics coming in 2032, he has become a key figure for the future of the sport in the country.
“I’m really excited to be chosen to run the 200 metres in Tokyo at the World Championships,” Gout said in a statement from Athletics Australia. “That’s been our goal, and now I’m looking forward to seeing how I perform against the world’s best.”
Gout is one of several young talents on the Australian team. He’ll be joined by 18-year-old Cameron Myers, who won the 1,500m national title and set a record for the fastest-ever indoor mile by an under-20 athlete (3:47.48) at the Millrose Games in New York.
Former high jump world champion Eleanor Patterson was also named in the first group of athletes announced. She won bronze at the Paris Olympics and will now aim for her sixth major championship medal, having recently taken silver at the Indoor World Championships in Nanjing, just behind fellow Aussie Nicola Olyslagers.
Peter Bol, who came fourth in the 800m at the Tokyo Olympics, is also returning to Japan in strong form after breaking the national record with a time of 1:43.79 at the Perth championships.
