Gout Gout: 16-year-old rising sprint star breaks Australia’s nearly six-decade-old 200m record

CNN
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Only a day after operating the fourth quickest under-18 100m time in historical past, 16-year-old dash sensation Gout Gout has damaged Australia’s longstanding males’s 200m file.

Peter Norman’s 200m nationwide file of 20.06 seconds had stood for the reason that 1968 Olympics, the nation’s oldest remaining file, however Gout ran 20.04s within the 200m remaining on the All-Faculties Championships in Brisbane on Saturday to set a brand new benchmark after 56 years.

The 4 main sprinters had been comparatively stage in direction of the top of the bend, however Gout hit his exceptional high velocity coming into the straight and left all opponents trailing in his wake.

Gout is now the quickest 16-year-old in historical past over 200m, holds the second quickest under-18 200m time ever, and now holds the brand new Oceania 200m file, per World Athletics.

“These are grownup instances and me, only a child – I’m operating them. It’s going to be an incredible future for certain,” Gout stated, per Athletics Australia.

“I didn’t anticipate it to be that quick, however I assume I ran Australia’s quickest ever time within the 200. I’ve been chasing that file however I didn’t assume it will come this yr. I assumed possibly subsequent yr or the yr after that.”

Gout broke onto the scene in 2022 when he ran the 100m in 10.57s as a 14-year-old. The final two years have seen the Australian, who turns 17 in late December, draw comparisons to sprinting nice Usain Bolt.

He garnered even additional consideration in August when he clocked in at 20.60s within the 200m on the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships – 0.01 seconds sooner than a 15-year-old Bolt managed in 2002, the file on the time.

“My video went viral proper earlier than World Juniors and that already created stress. However you realize what they are saying, stress makes diamonds and I assume I’m higher than a diamond proper now,” Gout added.

“We simply take little steps; beat my PB by 0.01 and 0.02. Chasing that huge sub-20, it will likely be nice for certain however I’m not anticipating an excessive amount of.

“Proper now, I can’t actually course of it. I assume tonight after I go to mattress and give it some thought, it will likely be fairly loopy for certain. I’ve all the time accomplished what I stated I’ll do. If I stated one thing, it’s on my thoughts and I’m pursuing it till I do it.”

Norman’s 20.06s earned him a shock silver medal within the 200m remaining on the 1968 Olympics in Mexico Metropolis, however the race is extra well-known for what occurred afterwards.

Black American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos received gold and bronze, respectively, and every raised one fist on the rostrum within the now iconic Black Energy salute, a protest aimed toward highlighting the segregation and racism burning again of their homeland.

In solidarity, Norman wore a badge on his left breast that learn: “Olympic Challenge for Human Rights,” a corporation arrange a yr beforehand that against racism in sport.