Australia's rising star: Young sprinter clocks 9.99 seconds
17-year-old Gout Gout, an Australian sprinter increasingly compared to the famous Jamaican Usain Bolt, clocked 9.99 seconds twice during Thursday's event in Perth. However, the result will not be officially recognised due to excessively strong wind conditions.
During the event in Perth, the 17-year-old Australian sprinter Gout Gout ran the 100 metres twice in a time of 9.99 seconds. Although this result will not be officially recognised due to overly strong winds, the young athlete confirmed his tremendous talent.
Gout Gout - the hope of Australian sprinting
Gout, the son of immigrants from South Sudan, competed in the national under-20 championships at the WA Athletics Stadium. He clocked a time of 9.99 seconds in the preliminary round with a wind of 3.5 metres per second and then repeated this result in the final with a wind of 2.6 metres per second.
"This is what Athletics Australia needs, this is what we wake up in the morning for, this is what we train for, and I couldn’t ask for anything better," said Gout after the race, although he admitted he wasn't completely satisfied with his start. The ambitious sprinter aims to become the second Australian to break the 10-second barrier (more than 20 years after Patrick Johnson achieved 9.93 seconds in Japan in 2003).
Gout Gout like Usain Bolt?
Despite his result in Perth not being recognised, Gout Gout continues to make progress. His best wind-aided result is 10.04 seconds, achieved during the national school championships a few months earlier. Gout's official personal record in the 100 metres is 10.17 seconds.
In December 2024, Gout set the Australian record in the 200 metres, achieving a time of 20.04 seconds in Brisbane. By doing so, he surpassed Peter Norman's result from the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, which was 20.06 seconds.
