Teenage sensation Gout Gout broke the national record set by Peter Norman at the 1968 Olympics in 20.04 seconds at the Australian Schools Championships in Brisbane on Saturday. The towering 16-year-old, who drew comparisons with Jamaican sprint great Usain Bolt after winning 200m silver at the World Under-20 Championships in August, won the race at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Center by a comfortable margin.
“It’s definitely great. I’m chasing that record, but I didn’t think it would come this year. I thought it would come next year, (or) the year after that,” he was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald after the record-breaking race. According to the same report, Gout’s 20.04 seconds is now faster than Bolt’s 16-year-old (20.13 seconds). The Jamaican all-time great then registered 19.93 seconds, dipping under 20 seconds at the age of 17.
Gout of this world 🌏🌏
At 20.04-seconds, 16-year-old Gout Gout went down in athletics history as Australia’s fastest man over 200 metres, shattering Peter Norman’s Australian record of 20.06 from the 1968 Olympic Games.
20.04 (+1.5). The oldest record in the books is… pic.twitter.com/wVpPSebbAp
— Athletics Australia (@AthsAust) December 7, 2024
“It’s so crazy. I can’t process it right now, but I think tonight, when I go to bed, I’ll think about it,” Gout added. “These are adults. And me, I’m just a kid, and I’m running them (down).
Like Bolt, Gout seems naturally more suited to the 200m as the starting block is an area where he can still improve. While good starters over 100m can still outrun him in the long run, once he finds his strides his incredible kick can make him a monster at the bend over 200m.