Genie Out Of The Bottle For Gout After Breakthrough Nationals

Stubborn tailwinds may have denied Gout Gout official times at Australias athletics championships but they did nothing to blow away the hype surrounding the 17-year-old sprinter after his watershed meet.

The Queensland schoolboy claimed his first national title in the 200 metres in a wind-assisted 19.84 seconds in Perth on Sunday, days after clocking 9.99 in the 100 of the under-20 event with another illegal wind.

The 200 win was an emphatic response two weeks after being upstaged by compatriot Lachlan Kennedy in front of a capacity crowd at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne.

While the setback may have knocked the confidence of other callow runners, Gouts coach Di Sheppard said it had only made him angry.

There would be no 200 rematch with Kennedy, who was disqualified for a false start on Sunday, but Gout channelled his rage superbly to blitz the rest of the field.