Gout and Philp start All Schools with a Bang | Day One Australian All Schools Athletics Championships

Australia’s fastest school students have been crowned, with teenage sprinting prodigy Gout Gout and Thewbelle Philp delivering history-making runs on Day One of the 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian All Schools Athletics Championships.

Bringing the heat as the sun belted down on the Brisbane track, Gout (QLD) coiled into the blocks for the Under 18 100m Heats before exploding to a 10.04 (+3.4) performance to rewrite the record books – clocking the fifth-fastest time by an Australian in all conditions.

While the blustery conditions (over the legal limit of +2.0m/s) meant the time could not officially stand as anything other than the meet record, the 16-year-old sprint sensation served up an Australian Under 18 record just hours later, clocking 10.17 (+0.9) to lower Sebastian Sultana’s 10.27-second record and cement his place in history as the sixth fastest Under 18 sprinter the world has ever seen.

“I’ve been chasing this national record for a while now! 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,” Gout said.

“In January I’m going overseas to train with Noah Lyles and his coach Lance Brauman, hopefully we can qualify for the Tokyo World Championships. If not, I’ll just finish my school in Year 12.”

Not to be outdone, fellow Queenslander and World Under 20 Championships teammate Thewbelle Philp made her presence known, clocking 11.38 (+1.5) in the Under 17 100m to become the Championship record holder and the third fastest Australian Under 18 sprinter of all time behind Raelene Boyle (11.20) and Torrie Lewis (11.33).

Australia’s next generation of sprinters impressed in the younger age groups too, with Zavier Peacock (NSW) and Jonathan Kasiano (QLD) battling to the finish line in 10.56 (+0.4) and 10.60 respectively. Meanwhile in the Under 15 Girls’ 200m, Emilia Reed (WA) charged to a Championship record of 23.64 (+1.8) at just 14-years-old.

It was a race to the finish line for New South Wales young gun Cameron Badger who set a new Australian Under 16 record in the 200m Hurdles after a thrilling race with South Australian Ken Ferrante Tanikawa, clocking 23.93 (+0.8) in a photo finish, to eclipse the former record of 24.54 set by Jared Bezuidenhout in 2005. Only 0.02-seconds could separate the pair for gold. 

Telaya Blacksmith (NSW) put on a masterclass in the U20 Para 100m, with the T20 athlete sprinting to victory in 12.36 (+0.9). Traditionally a quarter miler and a long jumper, the Paris Paralympian scored 96.35 on the BASELINE system, defeating Keira Post (T37) by almost two points, with the South Australian racing to 13.89.

New South Wales duo Jessica Johnston and Chelsy Wayne put in their best efforts in the Under 18 Discus securing gold and silver, with throws of 51.29m and 50.14m respectively. Both school girls achieved their best on their first throw, defeating the remainder of the field by more than 10-metres.

A World Under 20 silver medallist in the high jump, Izobelle Louison-Roe (NSW) flexed her versatility with a leap of 13.24m (+4.2) to take gold in the Under 18 Girls’ Triple Jump - eclipsing the Championship record in her first of four events on the program.

Though he missed out on a Championship record by just six centimetres in the Under 18 Boys’ event, Lian Anagnostolous stamped his authority when leaping to 15.50m (+1.8) to win by a margin of just under one metre.

Angelina Legrand (SA) led the race walking action with a swift time of 24:33.12 to claim the Under 17 Girls’ title, while John Ronan (WA) marched to victory in the Under 18 Boys’ event in a time of 20:51.01. 

Lucas Chis (VIC) carved off more than a second off the Under 17 1500m Championship Record, clocking 3:49.21 to lead a Victorian quinella under four minutes as Avery McDermid (VIC) claimed silver in 3:52.52.

The 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian All Schools Championships is also proudly supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and the Brisbane Economic Development Agency.

Full results from the 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian All Schools Athletics Championships can be found HERE.

By Sascha Ryner and Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted 6/12/2024