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Gout Gout breaks U20 world record in 200m, faster than Usain Bolt's teenage best
TL;DR
Australian athlete Gout Gout set a new U20 world record in the 200m with a time of 19.67 seconds at the Australian Championships, surpassing the previous record of 19.69 seconds held by Erriyon Knighton. Gout's performance also broke his own national record of 20.02 seconds.
Australian Gout Gout broke the world record for the fastest 200m run by a teenager in the latest sign of his precocious talent.
Gout, who turned 18 last Dec. 29, clocked 19.67 seconds at the Australian Championships in Sydney on Sunday.
“Right before this final, I wrote in my notes. I said I'm running 19.75, and (I ended up running) 19.67,” Gout said in an on-track interview.
Gout, in shattering his previous wind-legal personal best and national record of 20.02, also went under the U20 world record of 19.69 set by American Erriyon Knighton in 2022.
Knighton also ran 19.49 at age 18 in 2022, but that wasn't ratified as a U20 world record because specific drug-testing requirements were not met.
World Athletics must still ratify Gout's time, a process that can take months.
Gout benefited Sunday from a 1.7 meter/second tailwind, just under the wind-legal limit of 2.0. Last April, Gout ran 19.84 to win the Australian title with 2.2 m/s of tailwind.
The top seven finishers all ran personal bests, according to the Australian federation, with runner-up Aidan Murphy also going under Gout's previous national record by running 19.88, a personal best by .53.
Gout's time would have placed third at the 2025 World Championships and fifth at the 2024 Olympics.
In December 2024, Gout broke Usain Bolt’s record as the fastest 16-year-old in history in the 200m, clocking 20.04 seconds three weeks before turning 17.
In 2025, Gout was eliminated in the 200m semifinals in his World Championships debut as the youngest man in the field.
Bolt's best time before turning 20 was 19.88. The Jamaican first ran 19.67 or faster in July 2008, a month before turning 22. He then ran 19.30 one day before turning 22 to win 2008 Olympic gold.
This year, Gout could go for gold at the World U20 Championships in early August in Eugene, Oregon.
Gout was born in the 2032 Olympic host city of Brisbane two years after his parents moved to Australia from South Sudan, according to Australia’s federation. He turned professional in October 2024.
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Q&A
What is Gout Gout's new U20 world record time for the 200m?
Gout Gout's new U20 world record time for the 200m is 19.67 seconds.
Who held the previous U20 world record for the 200m before Gout Gout?
The previous U20 world record for the 200m was held by American Erriyon Knighton, with a time of 19.69 seconds.
How did Gout Gout's performance compare to Usain Bolt's teenage records?
Gout Gout's time of 19.67 seconds is faster than Usain Bolt's teenage best in the 200m.
