At just 17 years old, Australian sprinter Gout Gout is making waves in the world of athletics. Competing at the Queensland Athletics Championships, he delivered a blazing 200m sprint, clocking the fastest time in the world this year across all age groups. His 20.05-second run in the under-20 heats surpassed the previous world-leading mark of 20.13 seconds, set by Zimbabwe’s Makanakaishe Charamba in Texas last month.
Gout wasn’t done yet. In the U20 200m final, he shattered the 20-second barrier for the first time, finishing in 19.98 seconds. However, a strong +3.6m/s tailwind meant the time couldn’t be officially recognized. Still, it stands as the fastest 200m ever run by an Australian under any conditions and the sixth-fastest U20 time in history.
Reflecting on his performance, Gout shared his excitement. “At the bend, I thought I could really send it… I was happy and surprised, but I feel a weight off my shoulders,” he said.
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Gout’s legal 200m time of 20.06 seconds, with a +1.2m/s wind, was just 0.01 seconds off his own national record, which he set at the same venue last December. While slightly shy of his personal best of 20.04 seconds (+1.5m/s), his latest feat officially erased a 56-year-old Australian record held by Peter Norman since the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
Even more impressively, Gout is closing in on one of the biggest names in sprinting—Usain Bolt. At 17, Bolt ran 19.93 seconds, a time Gout is edging closer to. In fact, he has already beaten Bolt’s 16-year-old best of 20.13 seconds, a mark he surpassed when he broke the Australian national record last year.
A Future Sprinting Icon?
For Gout, this moment is surreal. “It feels great because I’ve been at that stage, watching people like Usain Bolt and getting goosebumps. For me to give people goosebumps feels great,” he said.
With his record-breaking performances and a steady climb towards elite sprinting history, Gout Gout is proving that he is a rising star to watch—and perhaps a future Olympic legend in the making.
