New Delhi: Young Australian athlete Gout Gout has made headlines down under with his sensational timing in a 100m sprint. During the heats on the first day of the Australian All Schools Championships in Queensland, the 16-year-old clocked an astonishing 10.04m to finish first in the U-18 category.
According to a report by The Sydney Morning Herald, the powerful tailwind of +3.4 metres per second delegitimized his awe-inspiring achievement. But he still managed to name the record after him when the race was conducted after two hours. He recorded 10.17s to better the Sebastian Sultana’s time of 10.27s for the 100m national record for the U-18 section.
Watch the race of 10.04s sprint here:
Absolutely outrageous from Gout Gout.
10.04 at the age of 16.
Speechless.
— Daniel Hussey (@DanielHussey2) December 6, 2024
The only Australian sprinter to record a timing below 10 seconds is Patrick Johnson who clocked 9.93s in Japan in 2003. Australia’s 26-year-old sprint sensation Rohan Browning has a personal best timing of 10.01s to win his 100m heat at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics before he was eliminated in the semifinals. Just like Gout, Browning too clocked 9.96s at the Wollongong 2021, but that record couldn’t be registered just because the tailwind on the particular day was +3.4, and hence it was illicit.
Just at 16, Gout has promised to be a next big thing in the world of athletics and has already drawn parallels with Jamaican sprint ace Usain Bolt, an eight Olympic gold medallist.
Crazy.
Insane from runner Gout Gout.
10.04 at the age of 16.
Could this finally be the heir to Bolt? pic.twitter.com/U3pLIDkUaz
— Quill🍿 (@QuillTalks_) December 6, 2024
How did Gout reacted to his record?
According to The Guardian, Gout is born to South Sudanese-origin parents Monica and Bona Gout. He was the third of seven children and was born near Brisbane. In August this year, the teenage sensation claimed a silver medal in the 200m event at the U-20 World Championships in Lima, Peru.
“I didn’t know what the wind was when I crossed the line, so I was pretty excited [when I saw 10.04s], then I got told [about] the wind and I was like, ‘I am still excited’, but it definitely hurt a bit,” Gout was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald.
The youngster has set his eyes to break the U-20 record in Australia after claiming the ones in U-16 and U-18.
“If I can run that with a tailwind, I can definitely run that with no wind – [I’m] just waiting for the day. I am after the under-20 record and [the] open record,” Gout added.
Gout will run in the 200m in Brisbane on Saturday at the Australian All Schools Championships.
Sixteen-year-old Australian sprinter Gout Gout created a stir at the Australian All Schools Championships, clocking an astonishing 10.04 seconds in the 100m U-18 race. While a tailwind rendered the time unofficial, he subsequently set a new national U-18 record of 10.17 seconds, surpassing Sebastian Sultana’s previous best. Gout, compared to sprint legends like Usain Bolt, aims to break further records and is considered a rising star in Australian athletics. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
