TOKYO -- Australia's sprint megastar Gout Gout won't win a medal in the men's 200m at the world championships. Nor will he be contesting Friday's showpiece final. But if you believe even for a fleeting moment this week in Japan -- his first senior meet at a major international level -- wasn't a wild, resounding success, you're sorely mistaken.
The 17-year-old clocked 20.36s to finish a beyond respectable fourth in his incredibly stacked semifinal on Thursday evening in Tokyo, one that featured 2024 Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo and third-ranked Jamaican Bryan Levell. While hopes across the nation were inevitably sky-high, expectations were, rightly, a fraction more measured. As such, his performance, combined with the level of maturity, modesty and the infectious aura he's displayed right throughout the championships, deserves to be nationally celebrated.
Since bursting onto the athletics scene as a raw and gangly 14-year-old prodigy, the hype surrounding Gout has been of seismic, borderline unfair, proportions. When he broke the nation's long-standing 200m record, as a 16-year-old, those expectations became not only comical, but near impossible to live up to.
Can Gout win an Olympic gold medal? Could he be the greatest sprinter of all time? These are actual questions that have been bandied around over the last few years. I'm certain you've either asked, or have been asked, at least one of them. Likely both.
And then, of course, there's the seemingly endless comparisons to Jamaican icon and 100m and 200m world record holder, Usain Bolt. Sure, there are undeniable similarities in their robotic, upright sprinting actions, but we know the real rationale behind why these athletes have been likened to each other: greatness. Yep, another helping of unnecessary expectation piled on someone who isn't yet old enough to legally drive or sip a glass of beer in his own country.
Despite the hype back in Australia, Gout was never in serious medal contention this week in Tokyo. Those close to him knew it. Those who follow athletics even in passing knew it. And while there will inevitably be some casual track and field observers disappointed he was unable to collect silverware, or reach the final, let's not forget he is still a schoolboy -- literally both still in school and still a boy -- racing against the fastest sprinters on the planet for the first time in his life.
"I couldn't be prouder of myself. Semifinalist and got to compete against the big guys," beamed Gout, after finishing fourth in the biggest race of his young life. "Obviously, I was aiming for that sub-20, but today wasn't the day. But for sure, in the future it's gunna come."
Some context. Gout entered this meet in Tokyo as the 20th-ranked 200m runner in the world, an extraordinary achievement for someone of his age. All 19 sprinters that had posted quicker times this year are at least three years older than him. He was also the youngest of the 54 competing in the 200m this week and still managed to finish in 18th place, having taken an impressive third in his heat run, before Thursday evening's performance in the semis. Gout's achievement, at this age, should not be normalised, let alone spun as an underwhelming effort.
Even Bolt, the greatest sprinter in history, couldn't find a place in a world championship final at age 17. Meanwhile, American ace and 100m Olympic champion Noah Lyles -- who ran a scintillating 19.51s in his semifinal in Tokyo -- never posted an under-18 time quicker than Gout. Neither did Tebogo.
Gout may have only spent a touch over 40 seconds on the track in Tokyo, but this intense week of competition, scrutiny, and being thrust into the national spotlight will provide invaluable experience for him as he continues to embark on what's sure to be a fascinating sprint career. He's now got a major championship meet under his belt. He's got a taste of striding side by side with the world's quickest men. And he's achieved both while his entire country eagerly watches in hope and anticipation. But most importantly, this week has built confidence; confidence this is a stage where he belongs.
"The biggest eye opener is that I can compete at the young age. I am [competing] against the best men in the world," said Gout. "Just knowing that I can actually go out there, run hard and place against these grown men. It's great."
Gout is still growing, still building muscle, and still learning what it takes to become a world class sprinter. Under the expert tutelage of Di Sheppard, he will almost certainly be quicker when Australia tunes in to watch him at next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, should he elect to compete. Who knows how he will have progressed by the time Los Angeles 2028 rolls around. Let's not even bother discussing Brisbane 2032, where he'll still only be 24 years of age, four years younger than Lyles today.
But for Gout's sake, let's keep those expectations tempered, at least for now. Let's celebrate what he's achieving instead of fixating on what could or might one day be. All that does is risk derailing one of the brightest young sporting talents Australia has ever seen.