Teen Sprinter Gout Gout Shines at Australian 200m Final

Post by: Layla Badr

Photo: AFP

Teenage sprinting star Gout Gout has once again shown why he’s one of the most exciting young athletes in the world. On Sunday, the 17-year-old ran an incredible 200 meters in just 19.84 seconds at the Australian Athletics Championships, winning the national title in Perth. Although there was a strong tailwind helping him, the time is still a huge achievement and shows just how fast he is becoming.

This run was one of the fastest ever by an athlete under the age of 20, even faster than Usain Bolt’s 19.93 seconds from 2004 and Justin Gatlin’s 19.86 seconds from 2001. Both are world-famous sprinters, so for Gout to beat their times at such a young age is a big deal.

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Just two days earlier, on Friday, Gout had already made headlines by winning the 100m final in 9.99 seconds. That race also had a tailwind slightly above the legal limit, so it won’t count as a national record. But even with that, people across the world are starting to notice him.

Gout, who is tall and slim, was born in Australia after his parents moved there from South Sudan. He became widely known in December last year when, at only 16 years old, he ran 200 meters in 20.04 seconds — the fastest time ever recorded by someone that age. That was even faster than Usain Bolt’s best time at 16.

Speaking after his 200m win on Sunday, Gout said, “Feels really good, that’s what I’ve been chasing.” He had to stay calm before the race started, especially after two runners false-started, including his main rival Lachlan Kennedy.

“I was a bit nervous,” Gout admitted. “But in my head, I’m just keeping my composure, keeping calm, because this stuff happens, you can’t really control it. So I just made sure I didn’t false start or be unsteady, and I took off.”

The young sprinter has been praised by many in the athletics world, including World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, who called him a “rare talent.” With Gout’s strong performances and rapid progress, many believe he could become one of the world’s top sprinters in the near future.

In other events at the championship, Kurtis Marschall, who won a bronze medal at the world championships, took first place in the men’s pole vault by clearing 5.71 meters. However, he had hoped to jump 6.00 meters and was a bit short of that goal.

Still, the highlight of the weekend was Gout Gout’s amazing runs. At just 17, he is already showing the world what he’s capable of — and it looks like this is only the beginning.

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