Few sprinters ever surpass the 20-second barrier in the 200m, which is a defining characteristic of elite sprinting. Now, one Australian has done it for the first time in history. At the Queensland State Championships, teenage sprinting star Gout Gout once again lit up the track with an incredible time of 19.98 seconds (+3.6 wind) in the 200-meter event. He was once again compared to none other than Usain Bolt after the accomplishment solidified his status as one of Australia’s most promising sprinters. However, are these analogies warranted? At barely 17, may Gout already be among the best sprinters?
For each sprinter, breaking the magical 20-second mark is a turning point in their career. Gout is only the seventh Under-20 athlete to achieve the feat, and at the age of just 17, fewer than 140 competitors in history have ever done so under any circumstances. At the ages of 18 and 20, respectively, Noah and Bolt ran their first track meets. With his current best legal time of 10.17 seconds, the Australian prodigy has made it known that he wants to become the second person to break the 10-second barrier in the 100m and the first Australian to legally surpass 20 seconds in the 200m under legal wind circumstances. His most recent accomplishment makes those objectives appear more achievable than before.
The rarity of Gout’s accomplishment was brought to light by a recent Instagram post by Fitzdunk, a former professional track and field competitor. He now joins the rare group of 17-year-olds who have ran a 200-meter sub-20 time, including Usain Bolt and Erriyon Knighton. The greatest way to describe it was in Fitzdunk’s caption: “The 17-year-old who ran 19 seconds in the 200m club just got a new member 🤝.” For comparison, Erriyon Knighton ran 19.84 seconds on June 21, 2021, and Usain Bolt, then 17 years old, ran 19.93 seconds on April 11, 2004. Since breaking Bolt’s Under-16 200-meter world record last year with a timing of 20.04 seconds, the 17-year-old Australian has been compared to Bolt.
Spanish sprint coach Pau Fradera has even noted that Gout is technically superior to Bolt at the same age, praising his more controlled and efficient running style. Adding even more excitement to his meteoric rise, Gout has openly challenged reigning world champion Noah Lyles, expressing his desire to compete for Lyles’ titles. Rather than brushing off the challenge, Lyles welcomed it with enthusiasm, encouraging the young sprinter to chase his ambitions with full force.
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