Gout Gout would be wise to take heed of Letsile Tebogo's advice after Diamond League debut

Not long after claiming a resounding win at the Oslo Diamond League meet, Letsile Tebogo showed his class when he offered Gout Gout the benefit of his wisdom.

Botswana's Tebogo had just won the men's 200 metres while slowing down in the final stages of the race at Bislett Stadium, clocking a season-best 19.84 seconds.

Making his Diamond League debut, Gout finished a distant sixth in a time of 20.60, well outside his world U20 record of 19.67, which he set at April's Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney.

Tebogo's advice to 18-year-old Gout had nothing to do with technique or training methods.

Instead, the reigning Olympic 200m champion essentially said this: Don't grow up too fast.

"First and foremost, he should not get comfortable racing with the seniors. He still has a long way to go," Tebogo said.

"He should, by all means, play with his age mates where he is a bit more comfortable because the more he runs, the more he pushes, and the more injuries he is going to get.

"I hope his management, the coaches and everybody around him will advise that because that is what worked for me."

Quietly spoken, yet thoughtful, Tebogo knows what he is talking about.

He emerged on the international stage as an 18-year-old, winning gold and silver in the 100m and 200m at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi.

In 2022, just over a month before he turned 19, Tebogo set a world U20 100m record when he ran 9.96 in Botswana's capital, Gaborone.

He lowered the mark twice in the same year with efforts of 9.94 and 9.91, running the latter to successfully defend his 100m crown at the world U20 titles held in Cali, before graduating from the junior ranks in 2023.

A year out from his Paris Olympics victory, Tebogo reached the podium at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest by collecting silver and bronze behind American showman Noah Lyles in the 100m and 200m.

Tebogo managed to convert his junior performances into success at the senior level.

But he is mindful that many athletes have failed to do so.

"I believe I am the only one who is still standing from [Nairobi] through Cali until now and running with the seniors," Tebogo said.

'Rome wasn't built in a day'

Gout would be wise to heed the advice of Tebogo, whom he regards as one of his idols.

But already it appears he is on the right track.

The experienced James Templeton manages Gout well, while a close relationship with coach Di Sheppard, who discovered her star pupil as a 12-year-old in Ipswich, has been vital to his early success.

Securing Diamond League appearances has been part of Team Gout's strategy, but they have not neglected the importance of junior competition.

Gout will compete at August's World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, as he looks to add 200m gold to the silver he won at the 2024 edition of the event in Lima.

The decision to travel to the United States and skip next month's Glasgow Commonwealth Games raised some eyebrows, but it was the right call.

Competing at the World Athletics U20 Championships is far more crucial to his development as an athlete, rather than contesting an event of little relevance on the global track and field scene.

Gout and Tebogo are set to cross paths again this season, with both scheduled to compete at the Diamond League meets in Eugene (July 4) and Lausanne (August 21).

Tebogo will no doubt continue to keep an eye on the young Australian, as he has been for the past few years.

On a visit to Melbourne for the Maurie Plant Meet in 2025, Tebogo first suggested that Gout not be in a hurry to reach the top.

"I was told Rome wasn't built in a day," Tebogo said at the time.

"I couldn't get the concept at first, but I got it later."

Again, it was advice worth noting, as Tebogo understands what it feels like to make the challenging transition from junior star to the senior ranks.