Gout Gout set another record in Queensland, prompting the teen sensation to send a warning to rivals ahead major events this year.
Australian teen sensation Gout Gout was always going to catch the spotlight whenever he competed owing to his past performances.
This was not different on Sunday after the 17-year-old blitz past his opponents to set another record in 200m at the Queensland Athletics Championships. Gout Gout blazed to U20 200m title after setting world-leading mark in preliminaries.
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The teenager clocked a wind-assisted 19.98s in the final to become the fastest Australian in the 200m in any condition, after he ran a 20.05s race in the heats. Gout Gout, representing Tigers Athletic Club, beat Zaine Leigh (22.10) and Liam Atkinson (22.12).
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His time of 20.05 seconds in the heats set a new world-leading men’s 200m mark across age groups. He shattered the 20.13s mark set by Zimbabwe’s Makanakaishe Charamba in Texas last month. Although the time in Brisbane was better than Gout Gout’s personal best of 20.04 seconds, which is also the Australian national record in the 200m, it won’t count as a record since the run was wind-assisted with tailwinds measuring at +3.6m/s.
As per the rules, only times set with wind assistance of below +2m/s are eligible to be considered for records in athletics events.
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Reacting to his performance, Gout Gout who enjoyed a two-week training with Olympic champion Noah Lyles in January, felt relieved after this unbelievable achievement. “At the bend I thought I can really send it. I was happy and surprised but I feel a weight off my shoulders,” he told Yahoo news.
“It feels great because I’ve been at that stage watching people like Usain Bolt, getting goosebumps. For me to give people goosebumps feels great.”
If Gout Gout hadn’t already sent a thunderous message to the sprinting world, he has now at the Queensland State Championships. Gout Gout will have another chance at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne on March 29 to claim more records in his specialties.
With the World Championships in Tokyo set for September, Gout Gout’s victory could be a stepping stone to challenging the likes of Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo at the Japanese capital.