BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Talented sprinter Gout Gout waved to the crowd over the final few meters on Saturday while winning the Australian junior 100-meter race in 10.21 seconds.
The 18-year-old Australian had to recover from a less than perfect start and he was second after 50 meters. But he forced his way through the field to beat Zavier Peacock (10.35) and Uwezo Lubenda (10.37).
“Obviously, I didn’t have the best start, but I came out for the W (win) pretty much,” Gout said. “I was waving to my family, fans and a couple of friends ... the more of a show, the more people who are going to come and watch.”
With the win Saturday he qualified for the world under-20 championships in Eugene, Oregon, from Aug. 5-9.
Gout missed out on his goal of breaking the 10-second mark. He had earlier cruised into the final with a time of 10.44 seconds in his semifinal, sprinting into a strong headwind at his home track in Brisbane.
On Friday, Gout qualified fastest for the 100 final. His weekend times were not quick enough to lower Patrick Johnson’s national open record for the 100 of 9.93, set in Japan in 2003.
Gout said he enjoyed the big crowds over the past few days at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre.
“The more people there are, the more pressure," he said after the final. "The more pressure, the faster you run, so putting on a show is definitely great. At the end of the day, I’m going to go out there and have a bit of fun.”
The win came less than a week after setting an under-20 world record time in the 200 that was faster than Usain Bolt’s best at that age. Last Sunday, Gout ran his 200-meter final at the open national titles in 19.67 seconds, taking 0.02 off Erriyon Knighton's world under-20 mark of 19.69 set at Eugene, Oregon in 2022.
Knighton also ran a 19.49 in 2022, which World Athletics says is the fastest time ever by an under-20 athlete despite it not being ratified as a world under-20 record.
It was the first time that Gout had gone under the 20-second mark officially, after a wind-assisted 19.84 last season, and is the leading time in the world this year. Gout previously had the quickest time by a 16-year-old, setting an Australian record of 20.06 in 2024.
Last Sunday’s mark in Sydney put him ahead of eight-time Olympic champion Bolt’s time of 19.93 in 2004. Bolt was 17 when setting what was then a world junior record and never bettered that time as a teenager.
“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” Gout, who was born in Queensland state to parents from South Sudan, said after his 200-meter win. "There’s a big weight off my shoulders knowing I ran it legally, and I have the speed and my body to run times like that. So, it definitely feels great, and ready for more.”
Gout’s 200 time in Sydney was met with skepticism from several sprinters, mostly in the U.S., who said the record was achieved under questionable wind conditions. Some said that up to seven runners achieved season-best times in the race — although that often happens in national championships.
“There are always going to be haters, if you’ve got haters it means you’re doing something right,” Gout told the Brisbane Times on Friday, referring to the critical comments. “It is what it is, I never take it (to heart), I just keep running, and obviously, it was pretty fast so that’s maybe why they were a bit mad. It motivates me to do it in even bigger races, for sure.”
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Gout Gout, right, waves while winning the junior 100-meter race at the Australian Athletics Junior Championship in Brisbane, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (Jono Searle/AAP Image via AP)
PHOENIX (AP) — Golden State coach Steve Kerr is contemplating his future, the four-time NBA champion coach suggesting after the Warriors' season ended Friday night that there is a chance he might not be back with the club next season.
“It might still go on. It may not,” Kerr said after the Warriors lost in Phoenix and were eliminated from the play-in tournament, marking the fourth time in the last seven seasons that Golden State has missed the playoffs.
He shared an embrace with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, the team's two constants from the Warriors' title runs with Kerr, in the final moments of Friday night and appeared to mouth the words “thank you.”
Kerr wouldn't reveal what he said in that moment.
“None of your business,” he said, smiling.
Green and Curry both made clear that they want him back. Kerr's future has been the subject of speculation for some time, fueled in part by him coaching this year on the final season of his existing contract.
“I want Coach to be happy. I want him to be excited about the job. I want him to believe you know he’s the right guy for the job,” Curry said. "I want him to have an opportunity to again enjoy what he does. So, whatever that means for him, you know, everybody’s plan is their own. And I’m not going to try to tell anybody what to do. He knows how I feel about him. That shouldn’t even need to be said.”
Added Green, when asked if he could even fathom the Warriors without Kerr on the sideline: "I just don’t deal with change well. I don’t love it. So, I don’t want to think about that. I hope that’s not the case. but we’ll see what happens.”
The 60-year-old Kerr just finished his 12th season with the Warriors. He's 604-353 in that span, led Golden State to the NBA Finals in each of his first five seasons — and once since then as well — plus guided USA Basketball to Olympic gold at the Paris Games in 2024.
He said he'll meet with Warriors owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy eventually, to chart a path for what's next. He suggested that might come in a week or two.
“We'll talk about what’s next for the Warriors, what the plan is this offseason,” Kerr said. "And we will come to a collaborative decision on what’s next. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I still love coaching. But I get it. These jobs all have an expiration date. there’s a run that happens, and when the run ends, sometimes it’s time for new blood and new ideas and all that.
“And, if that’s the case, then I will be just nothing but grateful for the most amazing opportunity any person could have to coach this franchise, in front of our fans in the Bay and to coach Steph Curry, to coach Dray and the whole group.”
The Warriors were 37-45 this season, dealing with injuries the entire way. They rallied Wednesday from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers and move into Friday's play-in finale, but fell short against the Suns.
And now, the Warriors wait to see what's next.
“This was as tough a season as you can have, with the injuries, with all kinds of adversity," Kerr said. "And they battled, and they battled the entire season. They kept going the other night just to, you know, continue the season, to show that kind of fight. And then tonight, we just didn’t have it. But the competitive desire was there. And I’m proud of the group for finishing the season the right way by continuing to fight and trying to win every game.”
Kerr — who won five championships as a player, to go along with his four rings as a coach — has often spoken of his good fortunes within the game. He played for Lute Olsen at Arizona, played with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in Chicago, played with David Robinson and Tim Duncan in San Antonio, played for Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich as a pro.
And coaching Curry — the greatest face of a franchise he's ever seen, he said — is another honor, Kerr has insisted.
“The only thing I’ve learned is that I’m the luckiest guy in the NBA’s history," Kerr said.
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Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr gestures during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers in San Francisco, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, right, looks on from the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall)
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reacts during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23), guard Stephen Curry (30) and head coach Steve Kerr are seen together in closing minutes of their NBA play-in tournament game against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Ariz., Friday, April 17, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Golden State Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr is seen during the first half of his NBA play-in tournament game against the Phoenix Suns in Phoenix, Ariz., Friday, April 17, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
