Star teenager Gout Gout has qualified fastest for Saturday's 100-meter semifinals at the Australian junior athletics championships, less than a week after setting an under-20 world record time in the 200 that was faster than Usain Bolt's best at that age.
The 18-year-old Australian sprinter finished Friday in a time of 10.19 seconds at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre. He entered the heats with the best qualifying time of 10.0 seconds.
Local media is reporting Gout has his eye on lowering Patrick Johnson's national open record for the 100 of 9.93, set in Japan in 2003.
Last Sunday, Gout ran his 200-meter final at the open national titles in 19.67 seconds, taking 0.02 off Erriyon Knighton's world under-20 mark of 19.69 set at Eugene in 2022.
Knighton also ran a 19.49 in 2022, which World Athletics says is the fastest time ever by an under-20 athlete despite it not being ratified as a world under-20 record.
Gout's time last week placed him above sprinting great Bolt at No. 2 in the all-time under-20 list.
It was the first time that Gout had gone under the 20-second mark officially, after a wind-assisted 19.84 last season, and is the leading time in the world this year. Gout previously had the quickest time by a 16-year-old, setting an Australian record of 20.06 in 2024.
Last Sunday’s mark in Sydney put him ahead of eight-time Olympic champion Bolt’s time of 19.93 in 2004. Bolt was 17 when setting what was then a world junior record and never bettered that time as a teenager.
"This is what I’ve been waiting for,” Gout , who was born in Queensland state to parents from South Sudan, said after his 200-meter win. "There’s a big weight off my shoulders knowing I ran it legally, and I have the speed and my body to run times like that. So, it definitely feels great, and ready for more.”
Gout’s 200 time in Sydney was met with skepticism from several sprinters, mostly in the U.S., who said the record was achieved under questionable wind conditions. Some said that up to seven runners achieved season-best times in the race - although that often happens in national championships.
"There are always going to be haters, if you’ve got haters it means you’re doing something right,” Gout told the Brisbane Times on Friday, referring to the critical comments. "It is what it is, I never take it (to heart), I just keep running, and obviously, it was pretty fast so that’s maybe why they were a bit mad. It motivates me to do it in even bigger races, for sure.”
Gout will go into Saturday's semifinal as a firm favorite.
"I definitely have more in the tank. Last week was a great run, and I’m hoping to keep the same" in Brisbane, he said. "Hopefully, the wind stays pretty calm, and anything’s possible. It was a good run, definitely saved myself for finals. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
Gout has indicated that he will skip the Commonwealth Games, which begin in Glasgow on July 23, to focus on the world under-20 championships in Eugene, Oregon from Aug. 5-9.
Brisbane is hosting the 2032 Olympics , where Gout is likely to be in his prime as a sprinter and could become the star of the Games. He grew up nearby in Ipswich, where he completed high school late last year.
