Tag: Ipswich Grammar School

Fast but Focused: How Athletics Australia Supports Gout Gout

Global athletics leaders and Australian officials are urging caution in managing the expectations surrounding Ipswich Grammar’s 16-year-old sprint phenom Gout Gout, even as the young star continues to break records and draw comparisons to Olympic legends.

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Managing great expectations

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has emerged as a leading voice advocating for measured development of the teenage sprinter. “He is clearly talented, but there is a bit of realism here as well,” Coe emphasises. The former Olympic champion points to a sobering statistic: the majority of junior champions never successfully transition to senior competition.

“This is a rare and precious talent that will need nurturing and protecting,” Coe added.

Gout Gout’s path forward

Athletics Australia is actively working to shield their young star from excessive pressure. Jane Flemming, Athletics Australia President, underscores the need for the teenager to lead a normal life. “You can imagine at the moment he’s going to have every sporting code, every agent, every commercial entity, they’ll all be chasing him and he hasn’t even finished year 11,” Flemming tells Sydney radio station 2GB.

The national body’s strategy involves ensuring Gout can balance his athletic development with typical teenage experiences. Under the guidance of coach Di Sheppard, the focus remains on long-term development rather than immediate success. Flemming envisions a career path that could span multiple Olympic cycles, emphasising the importance of both physical and mental well-being.

The name debate

An additional aspect of Gout’s story is an ongoing dispute over his name’s pronunciation. While his manager, James Templeton, insists on “Gout Gout,” the athlete’s father, Bona, advocates for the pronunciation “Gwot.” The discrepancy stems from an Arabic translation error during the family’s migration process to Egypt—before the sprinter’s birth in Australia.

Read: History in the Making: Gout Gout and Ipswich Grammar

Despite the careful tempering of expectations, Gout’s achievements speak volumes. His recent 20.04-second performance in the 200m at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships places him among the world’s elite junior sprinters.

As Athletics Australia works to protect and nurture this rare talent, the focus remains on ensuring the phenom reaches his 30s “in good physical and mental shape,” as Flemming puts it, potentially setting the stage for a long and successful career in international athletics.

Published 19-December-2024

History in the Making: Gout Gout and Ipswich Grammar

A star rises from Ipswich Grammar—faster than anyone could have imagined. Sixteen-year-old sprinter Gout Gout has made waves once more, both nationally and internationally.

His record-breaking performances in the All-Schools Athletics Championships have electrified the school, the community, and sports enthusiasts across the country.

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A star is born

Born to South Sudanese parents, Monica and Bona, who moved to Australia in 2006, Gout has quickly become a name synonymous with speed and determination. From training at local Brisbane tracks to capturing national headlines, his journey has been meteoric. At just 16, Gout is not only breaking records but also proving that Ipswich Grammar is home to Australia’s next great athletic talent.

Gout shatters records in the All-Schools Athletics Championships

Gout’s rise reached new heights at the national All-Schools Athletics Championships in Queensland. Representing Ipswich Grammar, he ran an astonishing 10.04 seconds in the 100m heat. Though an illegal tailwind rendered the time unofficial, it signalled his raw potential. Gout didn’t disappoint in the final, clocking a legal 10.17 seconds—securing his place as one of the fastest under-18 sprinters in history.

The highlight of the championship, however, came in the 200m event. The teenage sensation smashed Peter Norman’s 56-year-old national record with a blistering time of 20.04 seconds. Norman’s record, set at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, had stood as an untouchable benchmark for generations. Gout’s historic run cemented his status as Australia’s most exciting young sprinter.

For the Queenslander, the records are just the beginning. With ambitions to train with world-class sprinters like Noah Lyles under the guidance of coach Lance Brauman, he has his sights set on the global stage.

Gout credits much of his success to his coach, Diane Sheppard, who has been his mentor since he was discovered at Ipswich Grammar in Year 7. “She basically told me I could be great, and that was the first time anyone ever told me something like that,” he explained. “It’s been a fantastic relationship with Di since.”

About to turn 17 this December, his achievements aren’t just remarkable for his age—they’re globally competitive. His time of 20.04 seconds in the 200m makes him the second-fastest under-18 sprinter in history, trailing only U.S. star Erriyon Knighton. Beyond his lightning speed, his humility and dedication make him a role model for young athletes at Ipswich Grammar and beyond.

Read: Who is Gout Gout? Ipswich Grammar Teen Sprinter Takes Internet by Storm

“I’ve been chasing this national record for a while now,” Gout shared after his historic run. “In the heat, I thought I got it, but it was a crazy tailwind, so I just did the same thing and got the job done.”

“These are adult times and me, just a kid—I’m running them,” he said. “It’s going to be a great future for sure.”

Published 12-December-2024

Who is Gout Gout? Ipswich Grammar Teen Sprinter Takes Internet by Storm

As global attention shifts to the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Lima, Peru, Ipswich Grammar School sprint sensation Gout Gout is rapidly becoming one of Australia’s brightest and most viral young athletes, with a natural running form and athleticism that reminds many people of a young Usain Bolt.

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Early beginnings and rapid ascent

Born in Ipswich in 2007 to South Sudanese immigrant parents, Gout Gout’s journey in athletics began just a few short years ago. His talent was first spotted at an inter-house carnival at Ipswich Grammar School, where he impressed with his natural running form.

“Gout came to Ipswich Grammar as a full fee-paying student,” recalls coach Diane Sheppard. “I saw him run around and he got right up on his toes. He is a great kid from a great family.”

From these humble beginnings, Gout’s progress has been nothing short of remarkable. In the span of a few short years, he has transformed from an unknown in the athletics world to a record-breaking phenomenon, drawing international attention.

Coach Sheppard said this about him in 2022: “Six or eight months ago, he looked like one of those things that blow around in car yards. His arms were out of control.”

“I can go faster. There is always pressure, but I am just running,” the then-fourteen-year-old said.

Record-breaking teenage sensation

At age fourteen, Gout broke the Australian U16 record for the 100m with an impressive time of 10.57 seconds. A year later, he set a new Australian U18 record in the 200m with a time of 20.87 seconds, which he later improved to 20.69 seconds in January 2024.

In March 2024, he further solidified his status by clocking a blistering 10.29 seconds in the 100m at the Queensland Athletics Championships, matching the heat time of Olympian Rohan Browning at the Paris Games.

Given these record-breaking performances, it’s no surprise that comparisons with sprinting legends have begun.

Comparisons to Usain Bolt

Athletics Australia president and Olympian Jane Flemming was among the first to draw the parallel, noting similarities in their running style and early career trajectories.

Gout, for his part, takes the comparison in stride. “It’s pretty cool because Usain Bolt is arguably the greatest athlete of all time and just being compared to him is a great feeling,” he says.

“Obviously, I’m Gout Gout, so I’m trying to make a name for myself.”

A video of his lightning-fast race at the Queensland State Champs this year has gone viral this week. Admirers from around the world are drawn to his dominant talent and an iconic name that’s impossible to forget.

As he prepares for the World Athletics Under-20 Championships, expectations are high. Gout himself remains grounded, focusing on the joy of competition rather than the pressure of expectations. “It feels like this is where I’m meant to be,” he says.

“Running is pretty much my favourite thing to do. Just being out there versing everyone, versing faster people… pushing out of the blocks and everything about the track.”

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While the Lima championships represent Gout’s first major international competition, many in the athletics community are already looking further ahead. With the Paris Olympics now in the rearview mirror, Gout represents a bright hope for Australia’s sprinting future.

Published 25-August-2024

New STEM Centre Opens at Ipswich Grammar School

Budding scientists, engineers and maths experts attending Ipswich Grammar School stand to gain the best nurturing and learning in the years to come at the newly-opened STEM facility.

The new centre is a three-storey building with several learning spaces and laboratories, as well as a 155-seat theatre for lectures and other activities catering to the school’s more than 1,000 students from Prep to Year 12. 

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The State Government contributed $740,000 for the building in addition to the $9.5 million investment for Ipswich Grammar School‘s improvements in the last five years. 

Photo Credit: Facebook
Photo Credit: Facebook

It’s a wonderful new building that will help our boys reach their STEM education goals,” Ipswich Grammar School Headmaster Richard Morrison said. “It’s a beautiful modern facility that fits in so well with the rest of our school. We thank the State Government for its generous contribution to this important project.”

Mr Morrison, together with the school officials, welcomed Education Minister Grace Grace local Member for Ipswich Jennifer Howard MP during the opening of the new building in mid-March. 

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Ms Grace said that 90 percent of students in Queensland will eventually have jobs requiring STEM knowledge. 

“That’s why it is so important to build facilities like these which can incubate the next generation of STEM entrepreneurs and nourish their potential,” the minister said. “It’s great to see a school with a proud history of 158 years of education embracing the future to meet the learning needs of its students.”