Don’t worry about Gout Gout, says his famous rival Lachlan Kennedy

June 16, 2026 — 5:00am

Gout Gout’s underwhelming Diamond League debut last week was no cause for concern according to friendly rival Lachlan Kennedy, who warned the race needed context.

As Australian sensation Gout prepares to take on world and Olympic champion, and training partner, Noah Lyles head-to-head this week, Kennedy said Gout’s first run was poor but not a cause for concern.

Rivals and friends: Lachie Kennedy and Gout Gout embrace. Getty Images “I think Gout would be the first to tell you he didn’t run his best race, but I mean it was an international [season] opening, first Diamond League meet ... give him time. The conditions weren’t great ... he’ll be fine. I am very confident he will be sweet. Just give him time.

“I haven’t talked to him after the race because, to be honest, if someone came talking to me after I ran bad trying to give me tips, I would be pretty [annoyed].”

Gout finished sixth in 20.20 seconds in the 200 metres at the Oslo Diamond League, behind Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo , who claimed victory with a 19.84.

Gout, the new under-20 world record holder has again been training with Lyles, also an adidas athlete, in the US in recent weeks. The pair will run head-to-head at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet in Czechia over a compromise distance of 150 metres on Wednesday morning (AEST).

While Oslo was Gout’s first Diamond League meeting, it was not his international senior debut for he made the semi-finals at the world championships in Tokyo last year, something Kennedy was disappointed to miss out on.

Kennedy, the second-fastest Australian of all-time after running multiple sub-10 second 100m races, will be in Australia’s Commonwealth Games team when it is announced next Monday and is certain to run the 100m and the 100m relay but is also hopeful of running the 200m.

“It is my first individual 100m at a major championship. I missed out on the team for the world champs last year in Tokyo because of injury, so I am super excited about,” Kennedy said.

“Sub-10 now is the standard for me. It feels good that that is the standard – the expectation is it is a bad race if I don’t go sub-10. I like it, it is where you want to be, it is what you train for.”

Gout is not running at the Commonwealth Games, focusing instead on the World juniors in Eugene, Oregon days after the Glasgow Games are over.

Lachlan Kennedy’s stunning sub-10 second run. Seven “Our 4x100 is not going to suffer because Gout’s not at the Comm Games,” Kennedy said.

“I don’t even know if he would be in the starting 4x100 if he was at the Comm Games. Every time our four-by-one is running it is breaking records, and he has not been in it. And he hasn’t been running 100s– he’s a two guy anyway so I don’t think it is hurting our relay team right now.

“[When it comes to] the future of our four-by-one, we are in good hands. I see no reason why we shouldn’t be competing for medals.”

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