Is Gout Gout Faster Than Usain Bolt? Australian Sprinter Sets Sights On Jamaican Great’s 200m Record

Having cracked nan 20-second obstruction pinch a sizzling tally complete 200m – and successful nan process fulled comparisons pinch nan awesome Usain Bolt – nan mobility now is, really accelerated tin Gout Gout go?

“How long’s a portion of string?” said Gout’s coach and mentor, Di Sheppard, aft he clocked 19.67sec astatine nan Australian championships successful Sydney connected Sunday.

The clip smashed his ain nationalist grounds of 20.02sec and was bully capable for him to go nan first Australian to grounds a ineligible clip nether nan magical 20-second barrier.

Aidan Murphy quickly became nan second, conscionable a measurement down pinch different supremely awesome tally successful nan aforesaid race, but Gout grabbed nan headlines arsenic he bettered Bolt’s champion erstwhile nan Jamaican sprint awesome was nan aforesaid age.

The only man nether nan property of 20 to person tally quicker complete 200m is Erriyon Knighton, though nan now-banned American’s clip successful 2022 was unratified.

Comparisons pinch nan Jamaican awesome are possibly unhelpful astatine this nascent shape of Gout’s career, but fixed his clear upwards trajectory, nan dream successful his campy is that Bolt’s longstanding unfastened grounds of 19.19sec, group successful 2009, will beryllium nan adjacent to fall.

The 18-year-old’s manager, James Templeton, said successful nan contiguous aftermath of Sunday’s title that he was thrilled but not shocked by nan time.

“Last twelvemonth he ran 19.84 successful nan nationals, pinch a marginal wind, truthful we ever felt for illustration that was his clip past year, and he didn’t person nan opportunity to tally [again past year],” Templeton said.

Gout’s clip astatine nan 2025 championships put nan athletics world connected announcement and he said a ineligible sub-20 clip had go his extremity ever since.

“I’ve been chasing it ever since I sewage that forbidden sub-20,” Gout said. “So, it’s been connected my mind this full year, these past mates of months, truthful gladsome I sewage it for sure.

“I wrote down 19.75 and for nan past week successful my head, I’ve been telling myself I’m moving 19.75. And evidently … 19.67 … gotta emotion it.”

Ominously for his rivals, Gout has nary plans to remainder connected his laurels.

“It’s perfectly insane. I conjecture you could opportunity a large weight disconnected my shoulders knowing that I ran legally and I person nan velocity successful my assemblage to tally times for illustration that. So, it decidedly feels great. I’m fresh for more.

“I’ve conscionable turned 18 truthful I decidedly deliberation I tin spell faster, for sure. It’s conscionable astir building and getting that accordant sub-20 [times]. There’s nary unit for me. At nan extremity of nan day, I’m nan only 1 that goes retired location by myself.”

Next up for Gout is nan under-20 inferior title this week, though he will skip nan 200m successful Queensland and tally conscionable nan 100m, earlier he heads overseas for a tantalising match-up pinch nan Olympic champion Noah Lyles complete 150m astatine nan Golden Spike arena successful Ostrava successful June.