‘He would have been proud of you’: Touching message to Gout Gout from family of Peter Norman
Australia’s Peter Norman (left) joins American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the podium during the famous “Black Power” demonstration in 1968.Credit: AP
“CONGRATULATIONS Gout Gout from one of Peter Norman’s daughters and the rest of our family
Dad would absolutely have loved this!!!!,” she posted.
Peter Norman’s support for Smith and Carlos famous stance on human rights, and presence in one of sport’s most iconic photos, made him a celebrated figure the US, and Matt Norman is in discussions with a Hollywood studio about turning the story into a major motion film.
Norman said the fact his uncle’s record was broken by a youngster whose family came to Australia as refugees from South Sudan was a fitting layer to the story.
“You have no idea how ironic and beautiful that is,” Norman said. “For me, I think stands out as something special about it – a cherry on top.
“Peter didn’t mind his record being broken. He was waiting for it, and he’d waited a long time, before he died. Unfortunately, he is not around to have seen it, but I know he’d be really proud [of Gout].
“Talking to him, he is really confident, and he wants to make Peter proud, for sure. I said, ‘We are all really proud of you, you’re only a kid and we are very excited to see where you go now’.”
Not for the first time, Gout’s feats earned him global attention, with major news organisations around the world carrying reports about his 200m run.
The time made him the fastest 16-year-old over 200m in history, surpassing the record (20.13) set by Usain Bolt in 2004. Bolt ran 19.93 the next year as a 17-year-old.
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Gout’s time would have also seen him finish sixth in the 200m Olympic final in Paris earlier in the year, and has earned him a spot at the World Athletics Championships next year.
After Gout had lowered the national under-18 records for both the 100m (10.17s) and the 200m, another rising star – Terrell Thorne – broke the under-18 400m record on Sunday at the schools championship. ′
Thorne, who finished runner-up to Gout in the 200m, clocked 45.64 for the one-lap sprint.
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