Gout Breaks Australian Record and Outpaces Usain Bolt at 18
Gout, a teenage sprinting sensation, has made history by breaking the Australian 200m record with a blistering time of 19.67 seconds at the Australian Athletics Championship on Sunday. This achievement not only marks his first legal sub-20-second run but also places him faster than Usain Bolt at the same age. At 18, Bolt ran 19.93 seconds in 2004, which was a world record at the time. Gout’s performance now sets a new men’s 200m under-20s mark.
The only runner to have gone faster than Gout is American Erriyon Knighton, who clocked 19.49 seconds at 18 in 2022. However, Knighton’s time wasn’t ratified as a record due to anti-doping violations. Gout’s accomplishment sends a clear message to international competitors, especially as he plans to compete in the World Athletics U20 Championships later this year instead of the Commonwealth Games.
A New Era for Sprinting
Gout, who recently turned 18, expressed confidence that he can still improve. “I’m still only 18 – just turned 18, so I definitely think I can go faster for sure,” he said after the race. His focus is on achieving consistent sub-20-second times, a goal he believes is within reach.
Bolt holds the world record in the 200m at 19.19 seconds, set when he was 22 in 2009. He won his first 200m Olympic gold medal at 21 in 2008, with a personal best of 19.67 seconds—exactly what Gout achieved on Sunday. Bolt then improved upon that in Beijing, running 19.30 seconds to break the world record.
Overcoming Challenges and Setting New Goals
This was Gout’s first legal sub-20-second run, following a 19.84-second win last year that was affected by an illegal tailwind. On Sunday, with a legal tailwind of 1.7 metres per second and a newly laid track at Sydney Olympic Park, Gout broke his own record of 20.02 seconds.
Despite the cool and windy conditions, Gout felt confident. “It’s been in my mind this whole year, these past couple of months, so glad I got it for sure,” he said. He had even written down 19.75 as a target, and his performance exceeded that.
Gout faced some disappointment when rival Lachlan Kennedy withdrew from the 200m event. Kennedy had beaten Gout in their most recent race at the Maurie Plant Meet. “Lachy not running, I guess I got to step up for both of us for sure,” Gout said.
Surprising Competitor and Strong Finish
Instead, South Australian sprinter Aidan Murphy became Gout’s unexpected competitor. Murphy, 22, ran a personal best of 19.88 seconds. While he led Gout at the 100m mark, the 18-year-old surged ahead in the final 100 meters.
“I definitely felt like I had a lot more in the tank, for sure,” Gout said. “I just kept pushing it and the time shows.”
Gout credits his improved strength and gym training for his progress. “I’ve definitely been in the gym, and that’s been a major factor of my race for sure; knowing that the stronger I get, the better my first 100 [metres of the race] is going to be,” he explained.
Breaking Longstanding Records
Until Gout’s breakthrough in 2024, Peter Norman’s 20.06-second national record from the 1968 Olympics stood for decades. Gout and Murphy both surpassed Frankie Fredericks’ 19.92-second Australian record from 1999.
The atmosphere at Sydney Olympic Park was tense during Gout’s race, contrasting with the excitement earlier in the day when Jess Hull won the women’s 5000m final. Hull’s victory came two days after she suffered a fall in the women’s 1500m.
Hull’s Resilience and Mental Strength
Hull withdrew from the women’s 800m after experiencing discomfort. She emphasized the importance of overcoming mental barriers as much as physical ones. “It’s tough, it happens. You just want a fair race. If you get beat fair and square, you can live with that, but when it gets taken out of your hands, it’s a bit hard,” she said.
Hull denied rumors of a rift with Athletics Australia, calling them baseless. “I have no idea where that’s come from. I am so supported by our high-performance unit … From my camp and me, I’d really like to shut it down because I am so supported by Athletics Australia, and I have been my whole career.”
A Remarkable Day for Australian Athletics
Gout and Hull’s performances capped a historic day at the championships, which also saw Peter Bol win the men’s 800m and Nicola Olyslagers claim victory in the women’s high jump.
With the national championships concluded, Commonwealth Games Australia announced its first athletes for the 2026 Glasgow Games. The event will begin on July 23.
