Seb Coe has said teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout is already “hugely important” for athletics but has warned that the 16-year-old faces the “toughest” challenge in the sport by translating youth success into senior medals. Gout has become an overnight star since running the fastest 200m by an Australian since 1993 with a time of 20.29s making him the fourth fastest youth of all time behind Erriyon Knighton, Usain Bolt and Puripol Boonson. That has led to immediate claims that Gout, who turns 17 later this month, is the “next Bolt.”.
And World Athletics chief Coe, who has been outspoken in his attempts to modernise a sport that he describes as overly conservative, said his arrival on the scene is big news. “You’ve only got to see what response he gets every time he competes, not just in the mainstream but on the sites that specialise in athletics. He is a huge attraction,” he said.
Equally Coe pointed out that the attrition rate is high when it comes to the most talented juniors becoming successful at senior level. “The challenges are amongst his coaches and his network,” Coe said. “The federation will want to be quite protective of what is clearly an outstanding talent.
“The toughest transition any athlete is going to make is from the upper echelons of junior into the senior ranks. And any coach will tell you that probably is the toughest element in coaching. “Identifying talent, nurturing it. Yes, of course, that's a huge part of it. But taking an athlete safely, securely, mentally and physically from 18, 19, into the early 20s, that transition from junior into senior is tough.
