Australia buoyed by Gout's Commonwealth Games signal
One year out from the 2026 Games - to be staged in Glasgow after Victoria's government reneged on hosting - teenaged sprint sensation Gout Gout's intent to participate has buoyed Australian officials.
"Gout Gout's indicated he's coming, which is fantastic to see his interest in coming to the Games," Phillips said on Wednesday.
"There's a bit to go obviously in terms of selection processes and all that, but he is an absolutely exciting young talent.
"So to see him as part of our Commonwealth Games team alongside great athletes from across our sports is going to be fantastic."
Gout had initially been expected to prioritise the August 5-9 world junior titles in the United States, where he wants to emulate the great Usain Bolt, who won the under-20 200m title back in 2002.
But Gout is now set to contest the Commonwealth 100m event in Glasgow, before heading to the US for the 200m at the world juniors.
"We know the 100 is early enough in the program that he can do both the Commonwealth Games and then the juniors coming in soon thereafter." Phillips said.
Gout is in line to do something Bolt never did by running as an individual at the Commonwealth Games.
The Jamaican legend was part of his country's gold medal-winning 4x100m men's relay team at Glasgow 2014.
Gout's participation will further boost Australia's hopes of again topping the medal tally, which they have done in eight of the last nine Games dating back to 1990.
Glasgow's pared-down Games will feature 10 sports, nine less than in 2022 in Birmingham.
Sports which Australia tends to dominate at Commonwealth level such as hockey, rugby sevens and diving have been axed.
But 82 per cent of the nation's medal events in Birmingham remain on the Glasgow program.
"We have ambitions to remain top of the medal tally, which is a stated ambition of ours all the time," Phillips said.
"We really think that our athletes can do that. What that number takes, it will take.
"But we're pretty confident that we'll put our athletes in the best possible position to do that."
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