Gout is now the fastest person under 20 after smashing the record in Usain Bolt’s favorite race!
Australia’s young sprinter Gout Gout is now officially the fastest man ever under 20 years old after setting a new world record at the Australian Athletics Championships. At just 18, Gout is one of the most exciting young sprinters worldwide and is often compared to the legendary Usain Bolt.
Gout focuses on the 100 and 200-meter races and already holds the Australian U20 record of 10.00 seconds in the 100m. Now, he also holds both the national and world U20 records in the 200m—the same event Bolt was famous for. Bolt once said the 200m was his favorite and best race.
In Sydney, New South Wales, Gout stood out from the competition with an incredible time of 19.67 seconds. This beat the previous U20 world record by 0.02 seconds, which was held by Erriyon Knighton, an American sprinter currently banned. What made Gout’s run even more impressive was how close the race was for most of it. With about 75 meters left, Gout was still neck and neck with his closest rival, but then he surged ahead in a way that reminded everyone of Bolt at his best.
You can see his full run below. He had run under 20 seconds before, but that time didn’t count because the wind was too strong according to World Athletics rules. This new record, however, is official, with a wind speed of -1.7m/s, which is within the allowed limit.
After the race, Gout told ABC News, “I’ve been chasing this ever since my illegal sub-20 run. It’s been on my mind all year. Now I have it for sure. I had set 19.75 as my goal, telling myself I’d hit it. I ended up with 19.67, and I love that!”
He added, “It feels like a big weight off my shoulders knowing I ran it legally and I have the speed to do this. At the end of the day, it’s just me out there on the track. I focus on myself, my training, and my team, and that pushes me forward.”