18-year-old Gout Gout outpaces young Usain Bolt’s 200m mark

Eighteen-year-old Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout delivered a remarkable performance on Sunday, winning the national 200m title in a time faster than Usain Bolt recorded at the same age.

 

Gout clocked an impressive 19.67 seconds in Sydney, setting a new world under-20 record and registering the fastest time globally this year. The run also marked the first time he legally broke the 20-second barrier, following a wind-assisted 19.84 recorded last season.

 

His performance surpasses Bolt’s 19.93 seconds set in 2004 at age 17, which stood as the world junior record at the time. Bolt did not improve on that mark as a teenager before going on to dominate the sport and set multiple senior world records.

 

Prior to this feat, Gout had already made headlines by posting the fastest time ever by a 16-year-old, clocking 20.06 seconds in 2024.

 

American sprinter Erriyon Knighton previously held the recognised world under-20 record of 19.69 seconds, set in June 2022. He had also run a faster 19.49 seconds that same year, although it was not ratified as an official U20 record.

 

Fellow Australian Aidan Murphy also impressed in the race, finishing second in 19.88 seconds, making it the first time two Australians ran sub-20 seconds in the same event.

 

“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” Gout said after the race.

 

“We have such incredible athletes in Australia and racing them pushes us to the limits. Two Australians going sub-20 — it’s amazing.”

 

Despite his rapid rise, Gout has indicated he will skip the upcoming Commonwealth Games, set to begin on July 23, to focus on the World Under-20 Championships in Oregon in early August.