Australian athletics prodigy Gout Gout has closed his schoolboy career with a record-breaking performance at the GPS Track and Field championships in Brisbane on Friday. The 17-year-old won the 400m in a personal best of 46.14 seconds, breaking his own meet record, and thanked his coach Di Sheppard and Ipswich Grammar School for their support.
Gout skipped his preferred 200m event to focus on the 400m and 4x100m relay. He faced a strong challenge from Brisbane Grammar's Seth Kennedy, who earlier broke Gout's 200m GPS record with a time of 20.64 seconds. In the 400m, Kennedy pushed Gout to the line, finishing second in 46.64 seconds, also under the previous meet record.
Reflecting on his final race in the Ipswich Grammar colours, Gout expressed pride and anticipation for the future. 'I just can't wait to go on that next journey. For me, it's the world stage,' he said. The race marked the end of a remarkable 12-month period in which Gout broke the Australian 200m record, reached the World Athletics Championships semi-finals, and won his first open national title.
