Former world champion sprinter Fred Kerley has claimed that Australian teenage sensation Gout Gout 'can't handle the pressure' and will get 'destroyed' when he competes against the world's best, as he dared the young athlete to race him at the controversial Enhanced Games.
Kerley's challenge to Gout
Kerley, who won medals in the 100m at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, is set to compete at the Enhanced Games – an event that encourages participants to use performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids. The American star, however, insists he will run drug-free and has urged Gout to do the same.
Kerley's comments were a double-edged sword for the Queenslander, as he praised Gout as the 'future' of sprinting while simultaneously casting doubt on his ability to handle the sport's biggest stages.
'I have seen him [Gout]. He's the next up. He's the future of the sport and with the next generation,' Kerley said. 'It's all about what he believes in. Anybody can compete [at the Enhanced Games]. If you [Gout] want to come, come. You'll still get destroyed.'
The 31-year-old, who won the 100m title at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, added: 'He's a kid. There would be so much in his head. I don't think he can handle the pressure.'
Gout's recent achievements
Despite the criticism, Kerley acknowledged Gout's talent, calling him a 'nice, fantastic athlete' after the Australian's stellar recent form. Last month, Gout ran an astonishing 19.67 seconds in the 200m final at the Australian Championships in Sydney, setting an under-20 world record and smashing his previous personal best of 20.02 seconds.
Magnussen to compete at Enhanced Games
While Gout currently has no plans to race in the Enhanced Games, another prominent Australian athlete is set to compete. Two-time Olympian and dual 100m freestyle world champion James Magnussen will swim the 50m and 100m freestyle events in Las Vegas, with prize money of $US250,000 ($A358,000) for race winners and a $US1 million ($A1.4 million) bonus for breaking the 100m freestyle world record.
That bonus is also available to anyone breaking the 100m sprint world record at the inaugural Games, a multi-sport event with no drug testing, founded by Australian entrepreneur Aron D'Souza.
D'Souza's vision
D'Souza, who has since left The Enhanced Group, described himself as a 'zero-one kind of guy' who enjoys early-stage business ventures. The company officially launched on the New York Stock Exchange on May 8 with a reported $1.2 billion enterprise valuation.
'In the end, I am not an event organiser. I am a philosopher,' D'Souza said. He envisions the Enhanced Games as a vehicle to build 'super humanity – humans 2.0' and to remove the stigma around medically supervised performance enhancements. The performance-enhancing drugs taken by Magnussen and other athletes are marketed and sold by The Enhanced Group.
