Gout Gout: 16-year-old sensation beats Australian 200m record held for 56 years
Gout Gout becomes the fastest 16-year-old ever after clocking 20.04 seconds in the 200 metres; that breaks the 56-year-old Australian record held by Peter Norman from the 1968 Olympics; Gout Gout also ran 100 metres in 10.04 seconds.
Sunday 8 December 2024 11:26, UK
Sixteen-year-old Gout Gout ran the 200 metres in 20.04 seconds on Saturday at the Australian schools championships, beating the national record which that had been held since the 1968 Olympics by Peter Norman.
His run was initially marked at 20.07 seconds but later revised to 20.04 seconds, taking him below the 20.06 seconds run by Norman that won him a silver medal.
With that, Gout becomes the fastest 16-year-old ever and is second in the U18 category behind USA's Erriyon Knighton, who clocked 19.84 in 2021. Usain Bolt is third with a 20.13 back in 2003.
Twenty-year-old Knighton has since won silver and bronze in the World Championships and made it into the final eight at an Olympic Games.
"It's pretty crazy," Gout told Reuters.
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"Right now, I can't process it, but I guess tonight, when I go to bed, I'll think about it. These are adults. Me, I'm just a kid, and I'm running them (down).
"I've been chasing that record but I didn't think it would come this year. I thought it'd come maybe next year, the year after that."
Gout also clocked the fourth-fastest ever time by an Australian in the 100m heats with 10.04 seconds, although strong winds assisted him in this case.
Now, Gout is focused on breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100m and the 20-second barrier in the 200m.
He will also be focused on the 2032 Olympics, which take place in Brisbane when he will be 24 - just down the road from where he grew up.
"I've always done what I said I would," Gout added on Saturday. "So if I said something, it's on my mind, and I'm pursuing it until I get it."
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