‘Ruined him’: Photo shows Australia may have a Gout Gout problem

Gout Gout’s biggest critic has given Australia a reality check with a photo showing the American commentator may be right.

Gout Gout’s most outspoken critic has given Australia a reality check after the teen talent’s run in Saturday’s blockbuster Maurie Plant Meet.

All eyes were on the 17-year-old as he faced some of his toughest competition yet in front of the first sold out crowd at a one-day Australian athletics meet since 2001.

But it was 21-year-old Lachlan Kennedy who spoiled the party, winning the Peter Norman Memorial 200m and beating Gout in a shock upset at Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium.

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The result sets up a salivating rivalry between the pair heading into future meets and potentially the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

However, Gout’s biggest critic is having none of those suggestions.

American athletics analyst Erin Brown, the runner behind the popular “Erin Spider Brown” TikTok page, has proudly declared “I told you so” after seeing Gout’s run in Melbourne on Saturday.

Gout hit the line with a time of 20.30sec — unable to chase down Kennedy who beat his own personal best with a 20.26 run.

Kennedy’s run was fresh from his silver-medal performance in the 60m sprint at world athletics indoor championships.

Watch Gout Gout and Lachlan Kennedy’s run in the video above

All eyes were on Gout Gout after the race. Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP.

Gout Gout was the centre of attention at Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images.

Despite Kennedy’s massive personal best, all eyes were still on Gout after the race.

That is a big problem in the eyes of Brown.

The former collegiate athlete took to TikTok to rub it in Australia’s face, citing previous cases where young athletes have been dubbed “the next Usain Bolt”.

Photos from immediately after the race show he may be right.

“This is y’all’s next Usain Bolt,” he said with a photo of Gout as his backdrop.

“Every person y’all have ever deemed the next Usain Bolt in track and field has ruined them. “They did it with Matthew Boland. He did a 9.98sec windy time and he was the next Usain Bolt. Christopher Taylor from Jamaica in 2015 - the next Usain Bolt. He’s running faster than Bolt ran at his age. Trayvon Bromell — the next Usain Bolt. He’s going to be the next Usain Bolt. He’s going to take over. He’s going to take over from where Bolt left off.

“Erriyon Knighton. The next Usain Bolt. He’s running faster than Bolt ran at his age.

“I could see if I was lying, hating or making things up. But these people in Australia just made an hour long documentary saying that bro is the next Usain Bolt and he will be at the Olympics and he will be at the finals and he will get a medal. Instead of just letting the kid be a kid and letting him develop.”

Brown went on to say: “He’s on the bottom tier of the pros so why hype him up and put unreasonable expectations on the kid. It never goes good. It never does. I’ve always said for a professional he’s not that good.”

American Knighton, 21, finished fourth in the 200m at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and finished fourth again at the Paris Games last year.

Brown has been one of Gout’s biggest critics even before he went to America for a special training camp with gold medallist Noah Lyles in the United States and was first titled “the next Usain Bolt” last year.

A rivalry is born. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images.

Brown said Gout’s 200m time at the Maurie Plant Meet would “get your ass rolled” and also took a swipe at Kennedy.

He said: “The next Usain Bolt losing to a guy who is a 60m merchant? Hey man, the “I-told-you-sos” will be loud. That’s all I’m going to say.

“I also told y’all Gout Gout only looks good against little white high schooler who runs 22 and 23 seconds in the 200m. Every time we see him race in competition he doesn’t look as smooth and relaxed. He came off that curve tense. But y’all say, nah, people run faster when in competition. Not when you’re used to not running against competition.

“Those people usually sense up and they don’t be as smooth against people they know they can’t cake walk against. But, hey man, what do I know. I just be out here hating and lying according to y’all.”

He may have been upstaged, but Gout still put on a helluva show.

Gout Gout and Lachlan Kennedy battle it out in the 200m. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

There wasn't a lot in it on the finish line. Photo: Channel 7.

The last man out on track in the final event of the night, Gout made a rockstar entrance wearing his red Adidas tracksuit as a brief pre-race delay added to the theatre.

Kennedy flew out of the blocks and was well ahead at the bend before Gout came home like a rocket over the last 100m and nearly pipped Kennedy on the line but Gout left his run just a bit too late.

“Gout’s come with a flying run and Kennedy’s absolutely turned his personal best inside out,” Bruce McAvaney said in commentary on Seven.

Kennedy’s previous personal best was 20.93 and he now has the fourth fastest 200m time by an Australian.

“We don’t have one, we’ve got two stars in Australian sprinting.”

“Australian sprinting is on one right now, spearheaded by Gout,” Kennedy said post-race.

“I knew he was coming, my goal was just to hold him off. Five more metres and he would have had me.”

McAvaney described it as a “coming out” party for Gout, who raced for the first time to a national TV audience.

“Some will be disappointed,” McAvaney said.

“I think we’re all thrilled in so many ways that Gout responded like he did and Australia bona fide have two huge stars going forward.

“We’ve seen the start of a real rivalry.”

MEN’S 200M RESULTS

1. Lachlan Kennedy 20.26

2. Gout Gout 20.30

3. Calab Law 20.78

4. Kalinga Hewa Kumarage 20.89

5. Aidan Murphy 20.98

6. Yudai Nishi 21.00

7. Koki Ueyama 21.01

8. Christopher Ius 21.06

Originally published as ‘Ruined him’: Photo shows Australia may have a Gout Gout problem