New Delhi: Australian teenage sensation Gout Gout on Saturday etched his name into the record books by smashing the fastest timing to complete 200m by a 16-year-old athlete in the history of athletics. During the Australian All Schools Championships in Brisbane, Queensland, Gout completed the distance of 200m in 20.04s to break the national record, which was previously held by Peter Norman at the 1968 Olympics (Norman won silver with that timing).
Born to South Sudanese parents Monica and Bona Gout, the prodigious Gout Gout holds now the record for the fastest 200m sprint by a 16-year-old. He also clocked the second fastest time by an U-18 sprinter behind United States of America’s Erriyon Knighton, who recorded 19.84 at the age of 17 in the year 2021.
Watch the video of Gout racing 200m in 20.04s:
GOUT OF THIS WORLD 🌏🌏
In 20.04-seconds, 16-year-old Gout Gout has sprinted into athletics history as Australia’s fastest ever man over 200m, taking down Peter Norman’s Australian record of 20.06 from the 1968 Olympic Games.
20.04 (+1.5). The oldest record in the books is… pic.twitter.com/wVpPSebbAp
— Athletics Australia (@AthsAust) December 7, 2024
“It’s pretty crazy. Right now I can’t process it, but I guess tonight when I go to bed, I’ll think about it. These are adults. And me, I’m just a kid, and I’m running them (down),” said Gout, as quoted by BBC Sport.
“I’ve been chasing that record, but I didn’t think it would come this year. I thought it would come maybe next year, the year after that,” he added.
Gout recorded sensational timing in 100m
Gout, who will turn 17 on December 29 this month, also sprinted briskly in the 100m heat, clocking 10.04s, though the timing wasn’t legitimised because of the tailwind of 3.4 metres per second. He ran 10.17 seconds in the race, which was conducted two hours later, to record the fourth fastest time in 100m by an Australian.
Gout’s speeds and talent has made him compare to the legendary Jamaican sprinter Usian Boult. According to Australian broadcaster ABC, Gout will be travelling to United States of America in January 2025 and will train with ace sprinter Noah Lyles.
Sixteen-year-old Australian athlete Gout Gout has rewritten history, smashing the national 200m record with a time of 20.04 seconds at the Australian All Schools Championships. This surpasses Peter Norman’s 1968 Olympic record. Gout’s exceptional performance, also including a near-record 100m sprint, positions him as a rising star in athletics, drawing comparisons to Usain Bolt and securing training with Noah Lyles in the USA. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
