Gout Gout smashes Usain Bolt time with record breaking 200m

Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout set a new national record after running 200m faster than Olympic icon Usain Bolt at the same age.

The 18-year-old clocked a time of 19.67 seconds, which would have been enough for a bronze medal at the Paris Games in 2024.

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That was the year Gout burst onto the scene by setting a national record of 20.06, the quickest run set by a 16-year-old.

Two years later, he has gone under the 20-second mark legally, having managed a wind-assisted 19.84 last season.

The teenager, who has often been dubbed the ‘new Bolt’, leapfrogged the Jamaican’s feat of 19.93 seconds set in 2004.

Astonishingly, the runner-up to Gout, Aidan Murphy, also beat the eight-time Olympic gold medallist’s time by running 19.88.

Gout runs 200m faster than Bolt at 18

“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” said Gout post-race.

“We have such incredible athletes in Australia, and me being able to race these athletes, we push each other to the limits.

“Two Australians sub-20. I mean, this is amazing.

“There’s a big weight off my shoulders knowing I ran it legally, and I have the speed and my body to run times like that.

“So, it definitely feels great, and ready for more.”

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The 200m final of the Australian Athletics Championships was billed as a showdown between Gout and his rival, Lachlan Kennedy.

However, the 22-year-old was forced to withdraw after suffering soreness, having clocked a time of 9.96 seconds in the 100m.

Gout took full advantage of his absence to create history by setting the second-fastest 200m time by a man under the age of 20.

America’s Erriyon Knighton is the only one above him on the list, having run 19.49 in 2022.

Gout, who was born in Queensland, also smashed his own national record of 20.02 in his title defence.

“I’ve been chasing it ever since I got that illegal sub-20,” Gout added on Sunday.

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“It’s been on my mind this whole year and these past couple of months.

“For the past week, in my head, I would tell myself I’m running 19.75, and obviously 19.67, so, you know, gotta love it.”