Gout Gout praised by Olympic 200m gold medallist Letsile Tebogo ahead of Maurie Plant Meet

Letsile Tebogo is a humble and reserved athlete who rarely boasts. As the Olympic champion in the men's 200m and World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year, his opinions naturally garner significant attention. Therefore, when he predicts a bright future for 17-year-old Australian prodigy Gout Gout, we have reason to listen carefully, acknowledging his insightful perspective.

Tebogo told reporters in Melbourne, "If he can maintain his current desire, he can become one of the greatest athletes in history. He has a promising future." Tebogo is currently in Australia to compete in the Maurie Plant Athletics Meet at Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne on Saturday evening, adding excitement to the event.

Tebogo is fresh off a brilliant 2024 season, where he won Botswana's first Olympic gold medal in the Paris Olympics with a time of 19.46 seconds, also setting the fifth-fastest 200m record in history. Gout will participate in the Peter Norman Memorial 200m race in Melbourne, but he will not compete against Tebogo, who has chosen to participate in the 400m race, focusing on a different challenge.

Before Tebogo arrived in Australia, Gout had just achieved an astonishing wind-assisted time of 19.98 seconds in the U20 200m final at the Queensland Athletics Championships on March 16. Earlier that day, he ran 20.05 seconds under legal wind conditions, only 0.01 seconds slower than the Australian record he set in December, demonstrating his consistent performance. Gout broke Peter Norman's 56-year-old national record (20.06 seconds) with a time of 20.04 seconds at the Australian All Schools Championships in Brisbane, solidifying his status as a rising star.

Tebogo has been following Gout's performance and is deeply impressed by the young Queenslander. Tebogo said, "He is impressed with Gout's progress so far," highlighting his admiration for the athlete's dedication. Tebogo has also experienced the pressure of being a young athlete with high expectations, understanding the challenges Gout may face. In 2021, at the age of 18, he burst onto the international stage by winning gold and silver medals in the 100m and 200m at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi, showcasing his early talent.

In April 2022, a month before Tebogo's 19th birthday, he set a world U20 record of 9.96 seconds in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. In the same year, he broke this record twice, running 9.94 seconds and 9.91 seconds respectively, demonstrating his rapid improvement. At the World U20 Championships in Cali, he successfully defended his 100m title and bid farewell to the youth category in 2023. A year before winning the Olympic gold medal in Paris, Tebogo won silver and bronze medals in the 100m and 200m at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, marking his transition to senior competition.

The transition from youth star to Olympic champion is not an overnight process. Tebogo said, "I was told that Rome wasn't built in a day. At first, I didn't understand the concept, but later I understood it," emphasizing the importance of patience. Patience has been invaluable to Tebogo, who also achieved a personal best of 9.86 seconds in the 100m final at the Paris Olympics, finishing sixth. He believes that Gout and his team will also benefit from the same approach, nurturing his talent gradually. Tebogo said, "Slowly, he will get there," expressing his confidence in Gout's future success.

Although the 400m is not Tebogo's favorite event, he ran a world-class personal best of 44.29 seconds in Pretoria last March, showcasing his versatility. He was also a member of Botswana's 4x400m relay team at the Paris Olympics, winning a silver medal, adding another achievement to his impressive career.