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

Just a day after running the fourth fastest under-18 100m time in history, 16-year-old sprint sensation Gout Gout has broken Australia’s longstanding men’s 200m record.

Peter Norman’s 200m national record of 20.06 seconds had stood since the 1968 Olympics, the country’s oldest remaining record, but Gout ran 20.04s in the 200m final at the All-Schools Championships in Brisbane on Saturday to set a new benchmark after 56 years.

Tokyo , Japan – 1 August 2021; Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain, left, leaves the track after being disqualified for a false start as Andre de Grasse of Canada, Enoch Adegoke of Nigeria, Ronnie Baker of USA, Bingtian Su of China, Fred Kerley of USA, Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy and Akani Simbine of South Africa line up before the men’s 100 metres final at the Olympic Stadium on day nine of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
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The four leading sprinters were relatively level towards the end of the bend, but Gout hit his remarkable top speed entering the straight and left all competitors trailing in his wake.

Gout is now the fastest 16-year-old in history over 200m, holds the second fastest under-18 200m time ever, and now holds the new Oceania 200m record, per World Athletics.

“These are adult times and me, just a kid – I’m running them. It’s going to be a great future for sure,” Gout said, per Athletics Australia.

“I didn’t expect it to be that fast, but I guess I ran Australia’s fastest ever time in the 200. I have been chasing that record but I didn’t think it would come this year. I thought maybe next year or the year after that.”