Watch video: Teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout breaks 56-year-old Australian 200m record | Sport-others News
Teenage sensation Gout Gout ran the 200 metres in 20.04 seconds at the Australian schools championships in Brisbane on Saturday to break the national record Peter Norman set at the 1968 Olympics. The tall 16-year-old, who has started earning comparisons with Jamaican sprint great Usain Bolt after winning 200m silver at the world under-20 championships in August, won the race a good margin at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre.
“It’s definitely great. I’ve been chasing that record, but I didn’t think it would come this year. I thought it’d come maybe next year, [or] the year after that,” he is quoted as saying Sydney Morning Herald after the record-breaking run. As per the same report, Gout’s 20.04 seconds is now quicker than Bolt’s fastest time when he was a 16-year-old (20.13s). The all-time great from Jamaica then dipped below 20 seconds as a 17-year-old, regering 19.93s.
GOUT OF THIS WORLD 🌏🌏
In 20.04-seconds, 16-year-old Gout Gout has sprinted into athletics hory 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,” Gout added. “These are adults. And me, I’m just a kid, and I’m running them [down].”
Like Bolt, Gout also seems naturally more suited to the 200m as the starting block is an area where he still can improve. While better starters over 100m might still outrun him in the long term, his incredible kick once he finds his strides will likely make him a monster over the bend when he runs the 200m.
