Gout Gout made his senior world debut in Tokyo at 17. That made him the youngest man ever picked for an Australian world team. He reached the 200-metre semifinals, one round further than Usain Bolt managed on his own debut.
Through the heats, then a rainy semifinal
The Queenslander ran third in his heat on 17 September. His 20.23 came behind Bryan Levell and Makanakaishe Charamba. That was quick enough to go straight through.
The semifinal came the next day. Rain fell on the Japan National Stadium. Gout was slow around the bend and lay seventh at halfway.
Then he found his finishing speed. He drove down the home straight and took fourth in 20.36 seconds. It was not enough to reach the final.
A season of broken barriers before Tokyo
Tokyo capped a strong home season. In April he broke 20 seconds with a wind-assisted 19.84 in Perth. He then set the Australian record of 20.02 in Ostrava, faster than Bolt at that meet.
Those runs placed him second on the all-time under-18 list. He was already among the best before he lined up at a senior worlds.
Measured pride against the fastest men alive
"Semifinalist and got to compete against the big guys. I couldn't be prouder of myself," Gout told reporters. "Obviously I was aiming for that sub-20, but today wasn't the day."
Noah Lyles won his semifinal in a world-leading 19.51. Bolt watched from the stands. A 17-year-old stood in the rain against the fastest men alive, and did not look out of place.
