- Olympic legend Michael Johnson has urged caution over the rising euphoria surrounding Australian sprint teen Gout Gout.
The 16-year-old’s stock is growing rapidly following a number of eye-catching performances over the past few months.
His meteoric rise continued on Saturday when he broke Peter Norman’s 56-year 200m Australian record at the All School Championships.
Not only was Norman’s long-serving feat cast aside but Usain Bolt’s previous record of 20.13 seconds was sent tumbling to third spot for athletes aged under 18.
And it was a weekend to remember for Gout who recorded an incredible 10.04 in a 100m heat on Friday.
Australian 400m runner John Steffensen agreed with Johnson’s sentiments and warned Gout’s team against allowing him to jump from junior to senior competition too soon.
“The reality is junior running and pro running are two different ball games,” Steffensen told Code Sports.
However, despite praising Gout’s performances so far, Johnson insists everybody must not get carried away by his potential too soon if he is to reach the mountain top.
Johnson wrote on X: “Peter Norman was one of my heroes. Hard to believe no Australian had runner (sic) faster than 20.06 over the last 56 years!
“Great performances! Fun to think about his potential. But even with such great potential, realizing it is a whole different thing. The greater the potential, the higher the risk. He’ll need a solid team around him to help him navigate the journey.”
