Gout Breaks Australian Record and Outpaces Usain Bolt at 18
Gout, a teenage sprinting sensation, has made history by breaking the Australian 200m record with a blistering time of 19.67 seconds at the Australian Athletics Championship on Sunday. This achievement not only marks his first legal sub-20-second run but also places him faster than Usain Bolt at the same age. At 18, Bolt ran 19.93 seconds in 2004, which was a world record at the time. Gout’s performance now sets a new men’s 200m under-20s mark.
The only runner to have gone faster than Gout is American Erriyon Knighton, who clocked 19.49 seconds at 18 in 2022. However, Knighton’s time was not ratified as a record due to anti-doping violations. Gout’s accomplishment sends a clear message to international competitors, especially as he plans to compete in the World Athletics U20 Championships later this year instead of the Commonwealth Games.
A Rising Star with More to Come
Gout, who recently turned 18, believes there is more to come from him this year. “I mean, I’m still only 18 – just turned 18, so I definitely think I can go faster for sure,” he said after his win. His focus is on achieving consistent sub-20-second times, which he believes is the key to further success.
Bolt holds the current world record in the 200m at 19.19 seconds, set when he was 22. In 2008, Bolt won his first 200m Olympic gold medal at 21, with a personal best of 19.67 seconds—exactly what Gout achieved on Sunday. Bolt then improved his time to 19.30 seconds in Beijing to win gold and break the world record.
Conditions and Preparation
Sunday marked the first time Gout ran under 20 seconds legally. Last year, he ran 19.84 seconds to win the nationals, but that time was recorded with an illegal tailwind. On Sunday, with a legal tailwind of 1.7 metres per second and a new track at Sydney Olympic Park, Gout broke his own record of 20.02 seconds.
Despite the cool and windy conditions, Gout felt confident. “It’s been in my mind this whole year, these past couple of months, so glad I got it for sure,” he said. He had written down 19.75 seconds and mentally prepared himself for that goal.
Rivalry and Competition
Gout was unable to face rival Lachlan Kennedy, who withdrew from the men’s 200m after setting two sub-10s runs in the 100m. Kennedy had previously beaten Gout at the Maurie Plant Meet last month. “Lachy not running, I guess I got to step up for both of us for sure,” Gout said.
Instead, South Australian sprinter Aidan Murphy became Gout’s surprise competitor, running a personal best of 19.88 seconds. Murphy led Gout at the 100m mark, but Gout surged ahead in the final 100 meters. “It definitely felt like I had a lot more in the tank, for sure,” Gout said. “I just kept pushing it and the time shows.”
Strength and Progress
At 18, Gout is getting stronger and faster. “I’ve definitely been in the gym, and that’s been a major factor of my race for sure; knowing that the stronger I get, the better my first 100 [metres of the race] is going to be,” he said.
Before Gout’s record-breaking performance in 2024, Peter Norman’s 20.06 seconds from the 1968 Olympics stood as Australia’s longest-standing national record. Gout and Murphy both surpassed Frankie Fredericks’ 19.92 seconds, set in 1999. The men’s 200m gold at the Sydney Olympics was won by Greek sprinter Konstantinos Kenteris in 20.09 seconds.
Other Highlights from the Championships
The atmosphere at Sydney Olympic Park was tense as Gout lined up for the final, following the excitement of Jess Hull’s victory in the women’s 5000m. Hull, an Olympic silver medallist, had crashed out of the women’s 1500m in a fall two days earlier. She withdrew from the women’s 800m after pulling up sore but emphasized that her participation on Sunday was about overcoming mental barriers as much as physical ones.
Hull denied reports of a rift with Athletics Australia, calling the rumors “something trying to create a fracture that doesn’t exist.” She expressed strong support from the high-performance unit and stated, “I am so supported by Athletics Australia, and I have been my whole career.”
A Remarkable Day of Sport
The championships concluded with several other notable performances, including Peter Bol winning the men’s 800m and Nicola Olyslagers claiming victory in the women’s high jump. With the national championships wrapped up, Commonwealth Games Australia announced their first athletes for Glasgow 2026, which will begin on July 23.
