Bedridden one day, champion the next: Gout Gout defies virus and ‘crazy’ conditions

Gout Gout set himself to be quick this weekend. And he was, up to a point. But the best-laid plans cannot account for “crazy” conditions, a head cold, and being bedridden the day before racing.

Gout spent Friday in bed with sinus trouble and raced with a phlegmy throat and blocked nose. The rain came in the morning and the wind was gusty all day.

You could say it was less than ideal for running fast.

But Gout was quick enough to win the under-20 title for the 100 metres at the Queensland athletics championships, though that was never really the question for the man who will probably beat the world’s quickest under-20s (over 200m) in a few months time, not just his state’s fastest juniors.

His time of 10.2 seconds was, at first glance, a disappointing time. But given the illness and the wind, it was a more-than-solid performance. It was not the sort of eye-catching time his team had been hoping for after he ran 10 seconds flat on the same track three weeks ago, but given what he confronted, that was a strong effort.

“I feel pretty good, it’s good to get a run under my belt. I feel pretty good. I come out here and do what I do,” Gout said afterwards with a nasal voice, clearly still very blocked up from the sinusitis he has been struggling with.

On Sunday, he will race the 200m open men’s race, not the under-20s. He hopes to be feeling better by then, and to get better conditions.

“I was bedridden yesterday, still a bit of congestion on the throat. I feel a bit better but [that was] still a factor,” he said.