AFL to approach Gout Gout about competing in grand final sprint
The grand final sprint hasn’t been much more than a footnote, but the AFL is chasing Australia’s hottest young star to put some stakes on the run. Plus, the latest on the grand final entertainment.
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Forget the Foo Fighters, the AFL wants Gout Gout to perform at this year’s Grand Final.
Australia’s fastest man has been approached to take on the AFL’s quickest footballers in a blockbuster edition of the Grand Final Sprint.
The audacious plan to lure the rising star of Australian sport to the biggest day on the AFL calendar has been pitched to Gout’s management.
While considered a long shot, the timing could work given the Grand Final is on a week after Gout makes his major championships debut, competing in the 200m at the world athletics championships in Tokyo.
Gout also has a close relationship with Channel 7, the AFL’s grand final broadcaster, who would love nothing more than to have another drawcard on their biggest ratings day.
The 17-year-old rose to fame in December when he broke Peter Norman’s 56-year-old national 200m record and has become one of the most talked about athletes on the planet with comparisons to the great Usain Bolt.
He is currently in Monaco where he is scheduled to make his Diamond League debut on Friday night.
AFL spokesperson Jay Allen said the league was looking at ways to elevate the profile of the half-time sprint.
“The Grand Final Sprint is a favourite tradition of the day, and we are always looking at ways to amplify the race and the public interest in it. We will make any announcements closer to the Toyota AFL Grand Final,” he said.
Beau loves Grand Final Day ðŸ˜
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) September 28, 2024
Our 2023 Premiership Star has taken out the 2024 AFL Grand Final Sprint, finishing in 10.18 seconds âš¡ï¸pic.twitter.com/DEyyCsJbNW
A handicap system, similar to the Stawell Gift where Gout competed this year, would have to be used to level the playing field for the 100m event against the AFL’s fastest sprinters.
If he doesn’t put the spikes on, another option is for Gout to be the celebrity starter of the race.
Gout’s management has been careful with its sponsorship and appearance strategy because the teenager is midway through his Year 12 studies at Ipswich Grammar School in Queensland.
The AFL is yet to reveal its grand final music act with Foo Fighters at the top of the wish list although it’s understood a contract issue over their appearance at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix is a stumbling block.
Pop star Katy Perry was reportedly paid $1.4 million to perform at last year’s grand final.
Collingwood’s Beau McCreery won last year’s grand final sprint – which was held during the half-time break – in a photo finish from St Kilda young gun Darcy Wilson.
Geelong speedster Max Holmes won the coveted title as the AFL’s fastest in 2023 while some of the game’s best players feature on the event’s honour roll.
Brownlow Medallist Patrick Dangerfield is a three-time winner (2011-13) while St Kilda’s Geoff Ablett is the only four-time winner, winning the first edition of the event in 1979.
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Originally published as AFL to approach Gout Gout about competing in grand final sprint
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