Why this American sprint king watched YouTube videos of Gout Gout
Christian Coleman is the fastest man the world has ever seen over 60 metres.
He is the world indoor sprint champion – a title decided in a 60-metre race – and holds the world record for the event. His starts are quicker than a Coffin Bay oyster sliding down with a spritz of lemon.
Australia’s precocious teenage talent, Gout Gout, is breathlessly quick for about 140 of his 200 metres and quicker than any Australian over the full distance. For the last 140 metres he is a gazelle, but out of the blocks for the first 60 he is still a baby giraffe.
Coleman is the man to ask about fast starts.
Except it turns out that’s like asking someone who is tall what it’s like to be tall. You just are.
Coleman loves what he sees in Gout and is excited for what he could be, but there is no special recipe to being a better starter. Work hard, train hard, tweak things, and just get older and stronger. And let’s be clear; we are talking in relative terms about Gout, who is an exceptional runner whose starts are only slow compared with the other parts of his race.
“It’s one of those things where you have to just keep working at it,” Coleman said.
“In my career, every single year you go back to the drawing board of what you did well and capitalise on those things and the things you thought you were not good at try and do something different.
“They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and expecting a different result, so in the sport of track and field we are trying to get better by milliseconds at a time and you are trying to do something not drastically different, but you definitely have to switch things up to get a better result.
“So for him, he is a great talent, and I am excited to see just how his career flourishes and where he can take the sport.”
When Coleman was asked to race at the Stawell Gift he immediately watched a YouTube video of Gout’s race from last year, when he was beaten in the semi-final by the eventual Gift winner, school teacher John Evans. Evans was given a 9.75-metre handicap.
The teenager actually proved instructive for the 30-year-old former world champion and US gold medal relay winner about the task ahead of him at Stawell.
“Seeing the Gout Gout video he didn’t get out of the semis. I spoke to [American hurdler] Devon Allen on social media who competed out here and he was off scratch and he said he didn’t make the final, so I know I am up against a daunting task,” Coleman said.
“But I feel good, I am a competitor, so I am going to give it everything I got.
“When I first heard about [the Stawell Gift] I had to do my research, like how do the handicaps get set up? And it all made sense and I like my chances we get out there.”
It’s lucky the handicapping makes sense to him because it doesn’t to many others.
Coleman loves what he sees in Gout and understands the excitement around him, but also offers a word of caution.
“I will say I hate the fact that a lot of times they compare him to [Usain] Bolt and say he will be the next one or whatever. I think he will just be Gout Gout, so I am excited to see what he does,” Coleman said.
In fact, they are words taken from the mouth of Gout himself. He often says he doesn’t want to be the next Bolt, he want to be Gout Gout. He’s doing a good job of that.
Stawell will be Coleman’s first professional race on grass. “But growing up of course I was running barefoot in the grass or on concrete. So that part of it is not new, running with the ropes beside you the whole experience is very different,” he said.
“It’s exciting I have been around the sport of track and field for a while so to have a new experience.”
Coleman and his partner Sha’Carri Richardson were both excited not just for Stawell but for the fact their country is poised to host the LA Olympics in two years.
Asked to offer an opinion on US President Donald Trump, and the way non-Americans are treated by authorities, Coleman expressed sadness.
“I stand on the side where I am a lover of human beings and humanity, and we need more of that in the world,” Coleman said.
“I feel as if like in America it’s a democracy but I know a lot of people that just feel powerless with the structure and the president we have in office.
“All I can say is just pray and hope for the best but whatever the laws they have set up definitely abide by them because I have seen some crazy things on social media.
“Hopefully by then the Olympics I feel as if like is the epitome of community and family and love and I feel as if like everyone should be able to come in and feel comfortable.”
Amen to that.
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Michael Gleeson is an award-winning senior sports writer specialising in AFL and athletics.Connect via X or email.