Teen sensation Gout Gout smashes Australian 200m record with sub-20-second run

SYDNEY – Australian sprinter Gout Gout scorched the track to clock 19.67 seconds and win the 200 metres title at the Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney on April 12, becoming the first man from his country to break the 20-second barrier in legal conditions.

The fiercely contested final also saw Aidan Murphy dip under 20 seconds to go second with 19.88sec, while Calab Law was third at the Sydney Olympic Park with 20.21sec.

Gout’s spectacular effort with a legal +1.7-metres-per-second tailwind meant that the 18-year-old retained his 200m title and sent out a warning to his rivals.

He also eclipsed the previous world Under-20 mark held by Erriyon Knighton (19.69sec), while improving on his own national record of 20.02sec set in 2025.

His time was faster than Usain Bolt was at 18, the Jamaican finishing in 19.93sec in 2004.

Gout’s record run marked the first time he has gone under 20 seconds in legal conditions, after achieving the feat in 2025 with the aid of a tailwind when he clocked 19.84sec at the national championships.

“I’ve been chasing it ever since I got that illegal sub-20 seconds. It’s been on my mind this whole year and past couple of months, so I'm glad I got it,” he said.

“It’s absolutely insane. You could say it’s a big weight off my shoulders, knowing that I ran it legally and I have the speed in my body to run times like that.

“I wrote down 19.75 seconds, and for the past week in my head I've been telling myself I’m running 19.75 and obviously – 19.67 – you’ve got to love it.”

His coach Di Sheppard told ABC Sport: “I didn’t expect that, I was hoping for just under 20, but not that. (We) tweaked a couple (of) little things, worked his hands a bit better, just tried to get his turnover better, and it worked.”

Gout’s run came on the final day of competition, after his main rival Lachlan Kennedy pulled out of the 200m race as a precaution, with his team citing the need to manage his workload early in a long season.

“Props to Lachie, I send my regards to him, he ran two amazing runs here, and that pumped me up to run fast as well,” Gout said.

“He told me it’s all me, so I came out there and did my thing for sure.”

Kennedy told ABC Sport: “I was a little bit dirty not being able to run out there today, would’ve been a lot of fun, probably would’ve got a good time.

“But shout out to all the fellas who ran, it was a cracking race.”

Kennedy nonetheless underlined his form by winning the 100 metres in 9.96sec on April 11, repeating the time he ran in the heats to become the first Australian to break 10 seconds on home soil. His withdrawal denied fans an exciting race after the Maurie Plant Meet in March, when Kennedy won his duel with Gout.

Gout, the son of South Sudanese immigrants, has attracted growing global attention for his rapid rise and running style, drawing comparisons with eight-time Olympic gold medallist Bolt as he emerges as one of the most exciting young talents in sprinting.

The 18-year-old burst onto the scene in 2024 when he clocked 20.04sec at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships.

It shattered Peter Norman’s national record of 20.06sec from the 1968 Olympics and was the quickest ever by a 16-year-old.

Kennedy will now target success at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, while Gout will go for gold in the 200m event in the world Under-20 championships in Eugene, Oregon. REUTERS, AFP