Gout Gout, 17, breaks 20-second barrier to win Australian 200m: ‘Top speed is my gift'
Teenage sprinter Gout Gout won the Australian 200m title on Sunday with a wind-assisted 19.84-second run in Perth.
The 17-year-old ran 0.2 seconds quicker than his national record, but it will not count as a new record due to a wind speed of +2.2 metres per second.
Gout, born in Australia after his parents migrated from South Sudan, is the second fastest 200m sprinter under-20 in all conditions; only American Erriyon Knighton, then aged 18, has run fasted when he clocked 19.49 at the LSU Invitational in 2022.
Advertisement
Gout's time on Sunday surpasses Usain Bolt's 19.93 in 2004 and Justin Gatlin's 19.86 in 2001.
It comes two days after Gout won the Under-20 100m Australian title in 9.99, also achieved with a tailwind above the permitted limit.
'Feels pretty good,' Gout said after Sunday's run. 'That's what I've been chasing, I've been chasing getting that sub 10, focusing on my first hundred and that's exactly what I did.
'I got out, I sent it. Top speed is my gift. I used it, took off and I got sub 20 so I couldn't be happier.
'I think (I'm) maybe one of the youngest to ever win a men's national title, so it definitely feels great. Couldn't be happier for sure.'
Gout's record came after a false-start for two athletes, including his main challenger Lachlan Kennedy.
'I was a bit nervous,' he admitted. 'But in my head, I'm just keeping my composure, keeping calm, because this stuff happens, you can't really control it.
'So I just made sure I didn't false start or be unsteady, and I took off.'
In December, Gout became the fastest 16-year-old in history over 200m with a 20.04-second run during the Australian schools championships in Brisbane.
()
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Paris triumph is proof of Coco Gauff's maturity on the biggest stages
Aryna Sabalenka was understandably devastated by how her first French Open final unfolded. Having established herself as the No 1 player in the world and made such significant improvements to her game and mentality, she played some of the best tennis of her career in Paris en route to the final. Sabalenka felt she was ready to tackle all obstacles. With her crushing defeat against Coco Gauff in the French Open final after three difficult sets, she found out she was not. Her expression of that disappointment, however, was one of her least impressive performances of the year. During the trophy ceremony, with Gauff sitting metres away, Sabalenka's insistence on repeatedly lamenting her 'terrible match' was awkward enough. But in her press conference, after having a short amount of time to cool off, Sabalenka tripled down. Advertisement Related: Coco Gauff claims first French Open title after fightback floors Aryna Sabalenka Gauff had won not because of her incredible level, she said, but because of her own mistakes off easy balls. How had her opponent made life difficult for her? By her framed shots magically landing in the court. Had Iga Swiatek reached the final, she concluded, the Pole would have won. Nothing Sabalenka said was rooted in reality. Over the years, Gauff has built herself into one of the toughest players on the tour. She is the best defensive player in the world, which she pairs with her improvisational skills, intelligence and discipline. Between her phenomenal two-handed backhand, her potent first serve and an improving forehand that is perfectly suited to clay courts with its heavy topspin, Gauff also has more than enough weapons to hold her own against the best in the world. The American makes it incredibly difficult for any opponent to play their best tennis against her, which is why Sabalenka has repeatedly struggled to do so. Under pressure from the 27-year-old in tough, windy conditions that could have easily exposed her own insecurities behind her serve and forehand, this was an immense fighting performance from Gauff, and an impressive victory. She is the first woman in history to win her first two grand slam titles from a set down, with both victories coming against Sabalenka. Gauff is now a multiple grand slam title winner at 21 and ranked No 2 behind the Belarusian. This is no fluke. Advertisement After her victory, Gauff reflected on her difficulties before her first grand slam final at Roland Garros in 2022. Before that match, aged 18, she had been consumed by doubts and anxiety, unable to even breathe and questioning whether she would ever be able to handle the occasion. She learned from those lessons and has evolved into a formidable competitor who performs reliably well in the biggest moments. She now has 10 wins and three defeats in finals, a supreme record. Even after losing two WTA 1000 finals in Madrid , Gauff managed to save her best performance for the biggest final of all. Great champions thrive under pressure. By contrast, Sabalenka is still trying to exorcise old demons. As a three-time grand slam title winner and one of the most successful players of her generation, she has handled herself extremely well in some matches, but under the right circumstances against the wrong opponent she still struggles to contain her emotions. Instead of dismissing the challenge posed by an opponent who has outplayed her in the two biggest matches they have contested, she could learn from the example set by one of her closest rivals. On the path to this title, inspiration sprung up for Gauff in unexpected places. The night before the final, she was absent-mindedly scrolling on TikTok when a video of the Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas appeared. Thomas was explaining to a reporter how she had used written manifestations to aid in her quest for gold. Upon watching the video, an inspired Gauff sprung into action: 'I was like: 'I have this hotel notepad. I'm gonna write it as many times as I can fit on this, and I'm done.' So I did it that night, and I was just looking at myself in the mirror, and I was telling myself, just trying to seal it in my brain so I had that belief.' On a small piece of paper, Gauff had written a short sentence eight times: 'I will be the French Open 2025 champion!'
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
NBA at 'least a couple years away from launching' NBA Europe league, Adam Silver says
OKLAHOMA CITY — In March, the NBA and international basketball governing body FIBA announced a joint 'exploration of a new professional men's basketball league in Europe.' That's still moving forward, just don't expect it to happen quickly, Adam Silver told reporters at an NBA Cares event at a refurbished Boys & Girls Club in Oklahoma City on Friday, via Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. 'I will say it's measured in years, not months,' Silver said. 'So, we're at least a couple years away from launching. It would be an enormous undertaking. And while we want to move forward at a deliberate pace, we also want to make sure that we're consulting with all the appropriate stakeholders, meaning the existing league, its teams, European players, media companies, marketing partners. There's a lot of work to be done.' Silver told reporters that the NBA is in talks with the existing EuroLeague (the basketball equivalent of the soccer Champions League, featuring the top clubs on the continent) about a partnership at some level. However, what that might look like (or if it would even work) is up for debate. The NBA's initial target was a 16-team league, something Silver previously said would be 'integrated into the current European basketball landscape,' which means teams would continue competing in their respective national leagues. There would be permanent members in the NBA Europe league (existing clubs and possibly some new ones) as well as a chance for teams to be promoted into it each year. Speaking at the NBA Paris games in January, Silver said the goal was to 'professionalize the game to another level here, to create a larger commercial opportunity' — to make more money, both for European teams, but also to expand the NBA brand (and with that make the American owners more money). Silver discussed the European league in terms of NBA expansion when speaking with the media before Game 1 of the Finals. 'We have been discussing potentially creating a league in Europe. I view that as a form of expansion as well,' Silver said. 'Again, just as the same as in American cities, we think there's an opportunity to serve fans in Europe. No knock on European basketball, because most of those international MVPs I just talked about are coming from Europe. There's really high-level basketball being played there. But we think there is an opportunity to better serve fans there. I view that as a form of expansion as well, and that's something we're also thinking hard about.' There are numerous stakeholders, and a lot of mouths to feed; putting together this new league is a massive challenge. The NBA owners will discuss next steps when they meet in July, Silver said. Whatever those next steps are, this is a process that will take years, not months.
3 hours ago
Coco Gauff used words and a mirror to persuade herself she could win the French Open
PARIS -- A little bit of self-persuasion went a very long way for Coco Gauff, whose victory at the French Open gave the 21-year-old American a trophy she has long coveted, and a second major title. Gauff defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday to add to her U.S. Open title two years ago. Sabalenka had been the more in-form player heading into the final and Gauff felt she needed some extra motivation. So she drew inspiration from Gabby Thomas, who became the women's Olympic 200-meter champion at last year's Paris Olympics. Thomas had kept writing down that she would be the Olympic champion in her Notes app, so Gauff tried adopting the same approach and grabbed a piece of paper. 'I wrote, 'I will be French Open champion 2025' like a bunch of times," Gauff explained. 'She (Thomas) wrote 'I will be the Olympic champion' and she ended up winning the gold. I think it's a great mindset that she had." Eight lines on a piece of paper written by Gauff late on a Friday night, then it was finally time for bed, time to rest. Not quite. Gauff then persuaded herself a little bit more, by staring at the mirror and convincing herself she was looking at the face of a soon-to-be French Open champion. 'Looking at myself in the mirror so I was trying to instil that belief, and obviously it happened. I didn't know if it was going to work or not. (But) it did," Gauff said, then laughed as she added: 'When you're desperate, you're just trying anything to think that it's going to help you win.' Gauff also posted on Instagram another message she wrote to herself four years ago, which started with the words 'I had a dream last night that I will win (the) French Open.' Job done. What also stood out during the 2 hours and 38 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Saturday — in a gritty final punctuated by swirling winds due to the open roof — was how Gauff stayed calm while Sabalenka imploded and continually remonstrated with herself. All the screams and shouts were coming from Sabalenka's side of the net, while there was an almost quiet, steely focus on Gauff's side. That's largely because, these days, Gauff gets her frustrations out before matches. 'I know how important it is for me to let out those emotions so that when I come on the match court I can try and be as calm as possible," the No. 2-ranked Gauff said. 'I'm more cool-headed in matches. But in practice I can get pretty upset. Just let me be upset. If I'm upset, I'd rather be upset on the practice court than the match." Gauff will now switch to the grass-court season and may play in Berlin, Germany in a week's time before heading to London for Wimbledon, which starts on May 30. When she gets to London, Gauff will indulge in one of her favorite hobbies: trying to get out of Escape Rooms. 'For sure, I love it, and I'm going to definitely do it,' she said. And how about Sabalenka? How will she be coping with the defeat and the frustrations she so clearly felt? Will she be analyzing footage of the match over and over again, trying to understand where she went wrong and what she must do better? Far from it. She's off to indulge herself in Greece. 'I already have a flight booked to Mykonos and alcohol, sugar. I just need couple of days to completely forget about this crazy world,' Sabalenka said. 'Tequila, gummy bears, and I don't know, swimming, being like the tourist for couple of days.' ___
