Charamba Shines as Gout Gout Debuts in Tokyo
- Southerton Business Times
- Sep 19, 2025
- 2 min read
Seventeen-year-old Australian phenom Gout Gout made a blockbuster senior debut at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships on 17 September, qualifying for the men’s 200m semifinals in 20.23 seconds, while Zimbabwe’s Makanakaishe Charamba surged to second place in his heat (20.06), marking a rare display of African sprinting prowess on the global stage.
Gout overcame pre-race nerves to finish third behind Jamaica’s Bryan Levell (19.84) and Charamba, advancing automatically in Heat 5 of Round 1. His blistering final straight earned praise from commentators and fans alike, underscoring a swift rise from national record-holder to world-championship qualifier.
“Just run like a horse, run like the wind,” Gout told reporters after the race.“I’ve done the work to be here—now it’s about having fun and executing my race plan.”
From lane 7 at Japan National Stadium, Gout posted Australia’s season-best entry of 20.02 seconds and managed a composed finish to clock 20.23, securing the 12th-fastest time of all heats. Meanwhile, Makanakaishe Charamba, 23, anchored Zimbabwe’s hopes with a 20.06 finish—his personal best at a major meet—advancing as Heat 5 runner-up to thrill a sparse contingent of Zimbabwean supporters.
Veteran athletics coach Dr. Chipo Nkomo of the University of Zimbabwe credits Charamba’s performance to targeted tempo work and biomechanical tweaks after his 2024 season.
“His start and curve technique have improved markedly,” she says. “He’s now competitive against the world’s best in a straight-line sprint—rare for Zimbabwean athletes.”
On the Australian side, sports psychologist Simon Smale notes Gout’s maturity under pressure.
“He battled nerves at the gun but found his rhythm by 30m,” Smale observes. “His ability to relax under elite scrutiny bodes well for later rounds.”
Zimbabwean sprinters have seldom reached global semifinals. Charamba’s advancement is the first for a Zimbabwean man since 2015 and follows Blessing Mudavanhu’s quarterfinal run in 2013. This resurgence comes amid renewed investment in national-team training camps and partnerships with South African coaches.
Gout’s debut echoes the path of Usain Bolt, who broke through at age 18 with a semifinal berth in Osaka 2007.
“Comparisons to legends are premature,” Gout said. “But I’ll embrace every step and aim for sub-20 in Tokyo.”
Gout will contest Semifinal 2 on Thursday evening local time (10:09 pm AEST) with hopes of a sub-20 personal best. Charamba, drawn in Semifinal 3, aims to replicate his heat form to reach Zimbabwe’s first 200m final in over a decade.
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