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Australian teen Gout Gout shatters records with world-leading 200m performance

Sunday 16 March 2025 - 13:45
Australian teen Gout Gout shatters records with world-leading 200m performance
By: Zahouani Ilham
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Australian teenager Gout Gout has made headlines with his exceptional performances in the 200-meter sprint. Gout, 16, first gained attention in December when he clocked the fastest 200m time ever recorded by a 16-year-old, surpassing Usain Bolt’s personal best at the same age. His time of 20.04 seconds also broke Peter Norman’s longstanding Australian record of 20.06 seconds, set during the 1968 Olympics.

On Sunday, Gout made another impressive mark at the Queensland State Championships, recording the world’s fastest 200m time of the year in the heats with a time of 20.05 seconds. In the final, he broke the 20-second barrier with a 19.98-second run, but the time was disqualified due to wind assistance.

Reflecting on his performance, Gout said, “I felt literally free. I had 80 meters left to go, and I thought, let’s send it. Only then did I believe I had a chance of going sub-20 seconds.” He was thrilled upon seeing the clock and described the experience as a relief. “Now that I’ve done it, I just need to do it more consistently,” he added.

Born in Australia to South Sudanese parents, Gout’s talent has drawn comparisons to legendary sprinter Usain Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medallist. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe recently praised Gout, calling him a rare talent who requires careful guidance and protection. With the qualifying mark for this year’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo set at 20.16 seconds, Gout has already surpassed this standard twice.



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