Why Justin Gatlin believes Gout Gout-led Australia 4 x 100 relay team will be a force to reckon with in future

Gout Gout. Image source: Imago

Why Justin Gatlin believes Gout Gout-led Australia 4 x 100 relay team will be a force to reckon with in future

Mark Kinyanjui 21:20 - 03.04.2025

Justin Gatlin backs Gout Gout-Led Australia to become a future 4x100m relay powerhouse.

American sprint legend Justin Gatlin has explained why he believes Australia’s men’s 4x100m relay team could become a major force in the future following the emergence of Gout Gout and Lachlan Kennedy.

Both sprinters have been hailed as the future of sprinting, with Gout earning comparisons to Usain Bolt following his breakthrough season in 2024. 

Born to South Sudanese immigrants, the young sensation made headlines by breaking records at an early age. 

His most remarkable feat so far has been surpassing Bolt’s 200m time for the same age group, clocking a stunning 20.04 seconds at the Australian All Schools Championships in Brisbane.

Kennedy has also demonstrated immense potential, setting personal bests of 10.03 seconds in the 100m and 20.26 seconds in the 200m in 2025. His silver medal finish in the 60m at the 2025 World Indoor Championships further underscored his blistering speed and determination.

Speaking on his Ready Set Go podcast, Gatlin opined why Australia’s relay team should not be overlooked in the coming years, but did predict that their rise would not be instantaneous, drawing parallels to Canada’s gradual ascent to dominance.

"Of course, they're young athletes, and they're going to comprise a young team. They'll take a couple of losses along the way," Gatlin said.

He pointed out that Canada- anchored by Andre De Grasse - despite not boasting the fastest individual sprinters, steadily built their chemistry and rose to prominence, eventually securing Olympic and World Championship gold medals.

"When their quartet first emerged, they weren’t the best team. However, as the dust settled, they ended up with hardware—Olympic golds, World Championship golds. They have hardware, bro.

"And they don’t even have the fastest quartet. If you break it down to individual times, they don’t have the four fastest guys, but they get the job done. They rise to the occasion when it matters."

Gatlin believes Australia’s young relay squad has the ingredients for success but must focus on perfecting their race strategy and team cohesion.

"I think Australia’s quartet will be a young team. They just need to figure out exactly where everyone fits. Gout on the backstretch—I can definitely see that. I’d probably put Kennedy out of the blocks.

"I don’t know how the other guys run, but watching Kennedy, he looks like the fastest starter for the Aussies. That would provide some insurance.

"Then, they just need to find two more guys who can bring synergy to the third and fourth legs and close it out strong."

While the journey to global dominance will require patience and teamwork, Gatlin’s endorsement suggests that Australia could soon be challenging the world’s best on the biggest stages.

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