Bruce McAvaney’s touching moment with Gout Gout after ‘extraordinary’ run
An Aussie sporting icon has melted hearts with a touching act for Gout Gout after the teenager stunned the athletics world again on the weekend.
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Gout Gout is on the precipice of world domination and doyen of Australian sports broadcasting Bruce McAvaney isn’t about to miss out on the teenager’s rise to stardom.
Gout stunned the athletics world again on the weekend, posting a pair of sizzling 200m times in the Queensland athletics championships in Brisbane.
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On Sunday, the 17-year-old dominated in the heats, with his run clocking 20.05, the fastest recorded time over 200m this year — eclipsing Zimbabwe’s Makanakaishe Charamba 20.13 in Texas last month.
Second place in Gout’s heat on Sunday, Zaine Leigh, posted 22.22 seconds, showing just how ahead Gout is from his nearest rivals.
With a legal wind of +1.2 metres per second at his back, Gout again bettered the Australian open record in the 200m – the 20.06 set by Peter Norman at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City that he broke in December.
After destroying his rivals in the heat, it appeared he still had more to give and there was every chance he could crack the 20-second mark later on Sunday. And that he did with an unbelievable 19.98 in the final.
There were jubilant scenes at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre as the crowd watched on in awe as Gout proved again he is one of the hottest prospects in world athletics.
Also on hand was none other than McAvaney, the legendary athletics commentator who famously called Cathy Freeman’s victory in the 400m at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
McAvaney embraced Gout after his run and the broadcasting legend exchanged a few words with the teenager in touching scenes.
“It’s an extraordinary moment in Australian athletics, we’ve waited for this,” McAvaney said.
“Wind assisted, yes, but it doesn’t matter (when you get) to see someone break 20 seconds.
“He’s a precious talent and we’ve got so much to look forward to. We’ve seen something today that all of us here will remember forever.”
The ABC’s Jessica Stewart posted on X: “A hug from the legendary Bruce McAvaney, who was in the stands to watch Gout run today..special moment here at QSAC, thousands in complete awe.”
“I had an unsteady start, and to be honest, after that I didn’t really feel like running,” Gout said.
“But it felt pretty good. I came off the bend and I just kept sending it. I felt the wind behind me, so I was like, let me just use it. And then I saw the clock, and when it got rounded down (to a sub-20 time), I just couldn’t be happier.”
“I felt literally free,” Gout said post-race.
“I had 80-metres left to go, and I thought, let’s just send it. And only from then did I believe I had a chance of going sub (20 seconds).”
The teenager celebrated by hugging his coach Di Sheppard and he was mobbed by other competitors at the meet who were clamouring for an autograph and selfie.
“It feels great because I’ve been at that stage, watching Usain Bolt on the news and just getting goosebumps,” Gout said.
“Giving people goosebumps, it definitely feels great and I wish I can continue giving people more goosebumps that’s for sure.
“In my heat, there was no crowd, so when I came out (for the final) from warming up, I looked up behind me and there was this huge crowd. It just helps me fun faster, for sure.”
The Ipswich Grammar School student is just the seventh athlete aged under 20 to break the 20-second barrier over 200m.
Gout has already dipped under the 20.16 qualifying time for September’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo and is going from strength to strength after training with Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles in the US.
He will next compete at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne as part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold on March 29.
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