Gout Gout Receives Backing From Rival After Diamond League Setback: 'Give Him Time'

Australian sprinting sensation Gout Gout's underwhelming performance at his Diamond League debut is no cause for alarm, according to his friendly rival Lachlan Kennedy, who emphasised the need for context.

Gout is set to face world and Olympic champion Noah Lyles this week, and Kennedy believes the young star's first international race of the season should not be a point of concern, despite the result.

"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," Kennedy stated in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald.

"The conditions weren’t great... he’ll be fine. I am very confident he will be sweet. Just give him time."

Kennedy added that he had not spoken to Gout after the race, explaining, "To be honest, if someone came talking to me after I ran bad trying to give me tips, I would be pretty [annoyed]."

At the Oslo Diamond League, Gout finished sixth in the 200m with a time of 20.60 seconds. The race was won by Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, who clocked an impressive 19.84 seconds.

Gout, the current under-20 world record holder, has been training in the United States with Lyles, who is also an adidas athlete.

The two will compete head-to-head over a non-standard 150m distance at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet in Czechia on Wednesday morning (AEST).

While Oslo marked Gout's first Diamond League appearance, it was not his senior international debut. He previously reached the semi-finals at last year's world championships in Tokyo, an event Kennedy unfortunately missed.

Kennedy, Australia's second-fastest man ever with multiple sub-10 second 100m times, is set to be named in the Commonwealth Games team. He is expected to compete in the 100m and the 4x100m relay, and also hopes to secure a spot in 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 it," 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 will not be competing at the Commonwealth Games, choosing instead to focus on the World Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon, which take place shortly after the Glasgow Games conclude.

Kennedy is confident that Gout's absence will not negatively impact the Australian relay team. "Our 4x100 is not going to suffer because Gout’s not at the Comm Games," he asserted.

"I don’t even know if he would be in the starting 4x100 if he were 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."