Australian sport fans are in for a treat with Gout Gout set to light up TV screens at the Maurie Plant Meet on Saturday. The 17-year-old has been making global headlines with his record-breaking speed, and now fans can watch him in action on Seven and 7plus Sport. Gout is a confirmed starter in the Peter Norman Memorial 200m at the Maurie Plant Meet, which will broadcast live and free on Seven and 7plus Sport in primetime on Saturday, 29 March.
Broadcasting live from the track, Seven has assembled an exceptional commentary and hosting lineup for the event, headlined by the incomparable Bruce McAvaney and Sunrise co-host and Olympic sprinter, Matt Shirvington. Joining them will be Seven’s Jason Richardson, Tamsyn Lewis-Manou, and David Culbert.
Fresh off a breakout season that saw him win 200m silver at the World Under 20 Championships and take down Australia’s longest-standing open-age record, Gout will swap his Year 12 textbooks for spikes to travel to Melbourne and compete in the iconic event. He will take on a world-class field in the 200m named in honour of Australia’s legendary Olympic sprinter Peter Norman, whose Australian record of 20.06 seconds from 1968 stood until Gout stormed to a sensational 20.04-second performance at the Chemist Warehouse Australian All Schools Athletics Championships in December.
Gout won’t be the only big name in action on what is shaping up to be a bumper night. Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo is confirmed for the 400m, Australia’s fastest woman Torrie Lewis is locked in over 200m, and sprint sensation Lachlan Kennedy is also lighting up the track. Olympic bronze medallist Matthew Denny is ready to roar in the discus, while world champion Eleanor Patterson will be jumping for gold on a blockbuster night.
The Maurie Plant Meet is set to start on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at 7pm AEDT on Channel 7, 7mate, and 7plus. The event will also be streamed live for fans across Australia.
Gout Gout is not just another young athlete; he is a phenomenon. At just 17, he has already broken Peter Norman’s 56-year-old national 200m record with a blazing 20.04s at the 2024 All Schools Championships in Brisbane. Earlier this month, Gout won the 100m title at the Queensland Athletic Championships, clocking 10.38s, 0.43s ahead of the runner-up. In the track world, that’s an eternity. Moreover, the teenager battled unfavorable weather conditions to get the job done.
With a silver in the 200m at the 2024 World Junior Championships in Peru, Gout is already a global name. His recent performances have garnered attention from sprint legends, including Usain Bolt, who remarked that Gout “looks like young me.” Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo has also praised Gout, stating, “His style of running, it’s top-notch. I believe he’s going to be the next big thing for the continent.”
Gout broke onto the scene in 2022 when he ran the 100m in 10.57 seconds as a 14-year-old, but garnered even more attention last year when he ran 200m in 20.60 at the World Athletics U20 Championships – 0.01 seconds faster than a 15-year-old Bolt managed in 2002. He has continued his hot form into this season and ran a world-leading time of 20.05 seconds in the 200m earlier this month, just 0.01 outside his own Australian record which he set in December 2024. He then followed it up by becoming the first-ever Australian to break the 20-second barrier, running 19.98 seconds in the Queensland State Championships under-20 200m final. However, the time won’t stand as an official record because of illegal wind conditions (+3.6m/s).
Gout will race again in the 200m event in Melbourne this week, where he’s set to face Australia’s current fastest man, Lachie Kennedy. The teenager will not be facing Tebogo, though, who will instead test himself in the 400m event. “He can be one of the best, he can be in the history books,” Tebogo added, urging Gout and his team to take things slowly and not rush into racing on the senior tour. “The best advice I was told was that Rome wasn’t built in a day,” he said.
In addition to his athletic prowess, Gout Gout is also making significant strides off the track. He recently signed a massive $6 million deal with Adidas, a contract that runs through the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. This deal gives Gout financial security to focus on his craft, and Adidas is reportedly facilitating training opportunities, including his recent stint with Noah Lyles in Florida. Gout acknowledges that Lyles has taught him plenty, but his end goal remains to outrun the Olympic 100m champion.
As the hype builds for the Maurie Plant Meet, Gout Gout is not just racing for personal glory; he is representing a new generation of athletes who are breaking records and setting the stage for the future of Australian athletics. With the 2025 World Championships and the 2028 Olympics on the horizon, all eyes will be on this young sprinter as he continues to chase greatness.
The 2025 Maurie Plant Meet is the first one-day athletics meet in Australia to be sold out since 2001, showcasing the growing interest and support for track and field in the region. As Gout prepares to take the track, fans are left wondering: how much faster can this kid get with the right guidance? With the world watching, Gout Gout is ready to prove that he is here to stay.
