LIGHTNING quick Gout Gout ran 200m faster than sprint legend Usain Bolt managed when he was 18 years old.
The Australian teenager raced to a national title with a mindblowing time of 19.67 seconds on Sunday.
Gout Gout has beaten the 200m time that Bolt was running at his ageCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
The Australian ran the 200m in 19.67sCredit: Alamy
– who was born in Queensland to parents from South Sudan – set a new world record for under-20s.
And it was the first time that the sprinter had managed an under 20-second time after running a wind-assisted 19.84 last season.
When asked about his comparison to , on Channel 7, Gout said: “When asked about the comparison to Bolt, Gout said he is just being himself.
“It’s good when people compare you to the best in the world. But at the end of the day, I’m me, I am doing my own thing.
“There is no pressure…as soon as I go down to the track it’s me, the track and the spikes.”
As a 16-year-old, Gout registered the quickest-time ever for his age with another national record.
After bursting onto the track in 2024, he’s now ahead of the Olympic great Bolt who clocked 19.93s in 2004.
Gout said: “This is what I’ve been waiting for.
“We have such incredible athletes in and me being able to race these athletes, we push each other to the limits. Two Australians sub-20. I mean, this is amazing.
“There’s a big weight off my shoulders knowing I ran it legally, and I have the speed and my body to run times like that. So, it definitely feels great, and ready for more.”
Bolt did not beat the world junior record that he set when he was 17 as a teenager.
Bolt set the world record for 200m at the 2008 Bejing Olympics before breaking it again at Berlin’s in 2009 with a time of 19.19s.
And everyone remembers that he set the 9.58s world record – also at the same competition.
Bolt holds the 100m record with a time of 9.58sCredit: Getty
The Jamaican broke his own WR for 200m with new time of 19.19sCredit: Getty
During that 100m, the Jamaican reached top speeds of 27.8mph between 60m and 80m.
But it’s not to say that Gout will be without any competition but 18-year-old Lachlan Kennedy withdrew from the 200m showdown.
Kennedy beat the promising sprinter only TWO weeks previous at the national championships at the Maurie Plant Meet – an annual outdoor track and field competition in .
Gout managed second-place with a time of 20.43 and Kennedy was 0.05s ahead.
Bruce McAvaney said, on Channel 7 commentary: “He has done what everyone thought he might.
“The world will be shaken.”
Gout added: “This is what I have been waiting for. Right before this final, I went over my notes. I said I am running 19.75, but…19.67.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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