World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe hails Gout Gout as 'the real deal'
World Athletics boss warns sprint prodigy Gout Gout that the next five years will make or break his career as he transitions from junior phenomenon to senior superstar.
Sebastian Coe, the head of World Athletics has a message for Gout Gout: stick with the people you have around you because they will protect you amid hopes the Brisbane runner will be a headline act at the 2030 Commonwealth Games, which has just been awarded to the Indian powerhouse city of Ahmedabad.
Lord Coe told The Australian that Gout had made “extraordinary” progress. He had met him after the Monaco Diamond League in July, but warned that the period between the ages of 18 to 22 were the toughest in transitioning from junior to senior ranks.
“I found him extraordinarily grounded,’’ said Coe of Gout, 17.
“I know this sounds very old-fashioned and I don’t want it to sound particularly patrician; he was polite, he was engaging and he was articulate’’.
Coe added he didn’t want to put expectations on Gout about his superstar trajectory, nor to appear curmudgeonly if he dismissed his undeniable talent.
In Monaco, Gout won the under-23 200m in a fast time despite a strong headwind.
“Coming out of the junior ranks and into the senior ranks successfully both mentally and physically is no mean thing so I’m always cautious about piling expectation on 18-year-olds because a lot of things can happen and a lot of things can change,” Coe said.
“But if you look at the raw assets that he has, yes he is clearly the real deal.”
Coe, who was world-record holder in the middle distances, including the mile, and enjoyed world famous rivalries with Steve Cram and Steve Ovett, has also met with Gout’s manager James Templeton and his coach Diane Sheppard and he has been reassured they “are absolutely across all of that’’.
“So my best advice to him is stick closely to those two because they have your best interests at heart,” Coe said.
Gout could be hitting his peak at age 22 when the Commonwealth Games are held in India in five years time, and the Games will be a crucial lead in to his hometown Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
The awarding of the Commonwealth Games to Ahmedabad provides a lifeline to the multi sport concept that was left in the lurch when Victoria’s then premier Dan Andrews suddenly cancelled regional Victoria’s hosting for the 2026 edition.
Glasgow has stepped up to host those Games next year, but in a slimmed down format with reduced sports, with much of it paid for by the Victorian government through its hefty $380m cancellation fee.
“You probably wouldn’t have wanted it to happen this way but maybe this has been a moment of inflection and reflection for the Commonwealth Games and I think it has probably precipitated a more dramatic re-engineering than would have taken place had it been sort of steady state,’’ said Coe, adding, “I think that’s a good thing.’’
Coe has Indian heritage, through his mother Doreen and he proudly displays a Maharaja painting on his study wall.
He said he was very pleased and delighted that India has stepped up to the plate to ensure the Commonwealth Games format survives, notwithstanding the country still has ambitions to host a future Olympic Games.
“ I think they’ll be an outstanding Commonwealth Games,’’ he said, explaining how he had spent an hour with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who not coincidentally was previously the chief minister of the Gujarat state, a key strong hold for the ruling Bharatiya Kanata Party.
“Fifty minutes of that conversation was devoted to his passionate belief that we need events in order to be a catalytic impact on young people getting off sofas,’’ Coe, 69, said.
“India is a huge market. It has a kind of demography that suits our sport but it’s not just about the medals table, but about participation.’’
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