bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

Australian sprinting prodigy Gout Gout ran the fastest men’s 200m in the world this year on Sunday, with the 17-year-old saying he felt “literally free”.
The youngster rose to prominence in December when he clocked the quickest time ever by a 16-year-old.
That mark broke Usain Bolt’s personal best at the same age, with his 20.04 secs also bettering Peter Norman’s Australian record of 20.06 from the 1968 Olympics.
He turned heads again on Sunday with a 20.05 in the heats of the Queensland State Championships – the fastest in the world this year.
Gout then smashed through the 20-second barrier in the final with a 19.98, but it was wind-assisted so deemed illegal.

“I felt literally free. I had 80 metres left to go, and I thought, let’s send it,” he said of the final. “Only from then did I believe I had a chance of going sub [20].
“Seeing the clock, I was really happy and surprised in a way, but it just felt like a weight off my shoulders. Now that I’ve done it, I’ve just got to do that more consistently.”
The lanky Gout, who was born in Australia after his parents migrated from South Sudan, has drawn comparisons with eight-time Olympic gold medallist Bolt.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe recently said he was a rare talent but needed “nurturing and protecting”.
The qualifying mark for this year’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo is 20.16, which Gout has now beaten twice.


China’s Wu Yanni wants Asian 100m hurdles record, but admits Olympics a step too far

Tearful Wu Yanni’s 60m hurdles failure at World Champs sparks furious social media debate

‘Literally free’: 17-year-old Australian sprinter Gout Gout clocks world-leading 200m time

Elite female runners to be lured to break 10km world record on new Hong Kong airport runway

World Athletics Championships

Australia’s Gout Gout celebrates after winning the 200m final at the Queensland State Championships in Brisbane on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Gout Gout with his coach Diane Sheppard after winning the Queensland 200m final. Photo: AFP

Sport

Other Sport

Youngster rose to prominence in December when he clocked the quickest time ever by a 16-year-old – beating Usain Bolt’s best at the same age


Youngster rose to prominence in December when he clocked the quickest time ever by a 16-year-old – beating Usain Bolt’s best at the same age.
