Gout Gout has smashed the Australian under-20 record and recorded one of the fastest 200m times for a teenager anywhere in the world.
The eighteen-year-old Australian ran 200m faster than the legendary Usain Bolt, recording a time of 19.67 seconds to set a world under-20 record.
Back in 2004, Jamaican legend Usain Bolt was just 17 and set the world junior record, running 19.93 seconds. However, Bolt never ran faster than that as a teenager before going on to become the greatest sprinter of all time. 
Now, the 18-year-old has challenged the marks set by a teenage Bolt. Gout has now broken the U20 record, a milestone that reflects years of steady progress and rising expectations.
Before this epic run, Gout became famous when he ran 20.06 seconds in 2024. This time was one of the fastest ever by a 16-year-old. That was his “hello world” moment. Now, with his continued progression, it makes sense to say that he has fully arrived.
For context, American sprint king Erriyon Knighton still owns the fastest under-20 time ever with 19.49 seconds (set in 2022), though his officially recognized world U20 record stands at 19.69. While Gout is chasing these marks, Knighton’s time remains the standard to beat.
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After a recent race, Gout, who was already emotional, said: “This is what I’ve been waiting for. We have such incredible athletes in Australia, 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 I’m ready for more,” he added.
With all this hype around him, the humble 18-year-old is focused on his upcoming international schedule. He has made his decisions so he can focus on peaking for major championships later this year.
Gout is from a proud South Sudanese family of Dinka heritage. His parents, Monica and Bona, fled conflict in South Sudan. They went through Egypt and migrated to Australia in 2006, a year before Gout was born.
He’s the third of seven siblings, and athletics runs in the family. His mum was a runner back in school, and one of his sisters was a hurdler.
His name is officially “Gout Gout,” but his dad says it should really be Guot Guot. It was misspelled during paperwork when the family was fleeing to Egypt.
His father has joked that he’s not too happy about the mix-up because of how it sounds like the medical condition “gout.” Still, the name has stuck and become famous.
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