AAP
GOUT Gout’s Australian sprint rival has detailed the “insane, off-the-charts” technical quirk not even Usain Bolt could boast.
The 17-year-old Gout will graduate from school later this year and then, along with fellow emerging sprint star Lachlan Kennedy, aim to headline Australia’s team to compete at Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games next year.
Gout, who broke Peter Norman’s 56-year-old 200m national record late last year, is fresh off a world championships debut in Japan, where he reached the semi-finals in that event.
Kennedy, 21, became the second Australian to break 10 seconds in June but missed the Tokyo showpiece due to a stress fracture in his back.
The Queenslanders sat side-by-side at NewsCorp’s Future Brisbane roundtable on Friday and admitted each possessed something they envied.
“His heels don’t even touch the ground,” Kennedy said of Gout’s impressive stride.
“We call it heel recovery; it’s off the charts.
“There wouldn’t be many in the world who have as good heel recovery like that, even Usain Bolt didn’t.
“Heels are supposed to touch and that does slow you down a bit.
“His don’t; it’s insane, incredible and why he maintains that top-end speed.
“If I had that, who knows … it’s one of a kind, you can’t replicate it.”
Gout has made it clear that his goal is to win the prestigious 100m-200m sprint double at Brisbane’s 2032 Games.
Gout said he’d love Kennedy’s fast start and explosive early power, something he’s developing after growing 4cm and gaining “a few kilograms” this year.
“That’s muscle, by the way,” Gout smiled.
“Lachy’s got a flying start and his strength … for me to get that … we’d both be flying.”
