Gout Gout’s rival runs a record 100m time – but it won’t count
Australia could be real contenders for the 4x100m relay gold at the 2028 Olympic Games.
Everyone is talking about Gout Gout, a young athlete many believe might challenge Usain Bolt’s 100m world record. He’s expected to be part of an amazing team in Los Angeles in two years.
One of Gout Gout’s likely teammates is 25-year-old Eddie Nketia. He’s showing signs that he could break Australia’s 100m record before Gout Gout runs faster than the current national record of 9.93 seconds.
Nketia switched from representing New Zealand to Australia and recently competed for the University of Southern California at a meet in Nebraska. He ran both the 100m and 200m, finishing the 100m in an impressive 9.74 seconds—just 0.16 seconds slower than Bolt’s 2009 world record of 9.58 seconds.
This was Nketia’s second time running under the Australian record, but both times had a strong tailwind. His Nebraska run won’t count as a record because the wind was 5.6 m/s, well over the legal limit of 2.0 m/s.
Still, people are excited about Nketia’s speed, and he’s eager to prove himself on the biggest stages. After his 9.74 run, he told the media, “It’s crazy to run 9.74 even with the wind. It shows I’m improving, and the season’s not over yet. I hope to get an official personal best soon and show I can compete. That all-conditions time is nice, but I really want the official record.”
Nketia is optimistic about the future. “When I finish college, I’m looking forward to competing everywhere, including Europe this year,” he said.
While Nketia is doing great one year before the world championships, the spotlight stays on his young teammate.
18-year-old Gout Gout has a personal best of 10.00 seconds in the 100m, which is 0.08 seconds faster than Nketia’s best. Although he hasn’t broken 10 seconds yet, people notice that he’s running faster than Bolt did at the same age. Gout Gout also holds the under-20 world record for the 200m.
The future looks bright for these Australian sprinters!