‘Next Usain Bolt’ Gout Gout, 17, runs blistering sub-10sec 100m twice in same day and admits he could have gone FASTER
SPRINT prodigy Gout Gout has been dubbed the ‘next Usain Bolt’ after breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100m twice on the same day.
The 17-year-old, who had never dipped under the mark before, clocked 9.99 seconds in the under-20 100m heat before recording the same time in the final at the Australian Athletics Championships in Perth on Thursday.
Gout even mimicked Bolt‘s arms-out celebration when he crossed the line as the winner and became the third Australian to run the 100m in less than 10 seconds.
But neither of his 99.9 times will be formally recorded as his official personal bests due to illegal tailwinds.
Gout’s time in the heat was assisted by a 3.5m/s tailwind while his final time was helped by a 2.6m/s tailwind.
But the fact the Queensland teenager posted his 9.99 run despite easing up at the end showcased his crazy potential.
To put Gout’s time into context, Bolt, who holds the world record for the fastest 100m ever with a time of 9.58, had a PB of 10.03 until the age of 21.
Gout said he felt “pretty good” after the final, and that he wasn’t upset by the conditions that prevented him setting a new personal best.
He said: “Sometimes it’s frustrating, but you know, you can’t control what you can’t control, and the wind is obviously a thing you can’t control, you’ve got to learn how to run with it or run against it.”
The Australian 100m record was set by Patrick Johnson in 2003, with a time of 9.93 seconds.
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Going under 10 seconds for the first time is the latest achievement in Gout’s promising young career, which began getting global attention after he ran the 100m in 10.57 seconds as a 14-year-old in 2022.
Considered as one of the fastest teenagers in the world, Gout has already drawn comparisons with the greatest sprinter of all time in Bolt.
Like Bolt often used to do, Gout didn’t have the best start in the final but quickly raced away from his rivals.
He entered Perth on Thursday with a personal best of 10.04s, which also wasn’t an official time due to the wind on that day either.
World Indoor 60m silver medallist Lachlan Kennedy is also aiming to crack the 10-second barrier in the 100m this week.
The 21-year-old is competing in the open field for the 100m on Friday and Saturday, meaning he won’t go head-to-head with Gout over that distance this week.
But the pair will lock horns on Sunday when they line up in the 200m men’s event.
Gout broke Peter Norman’s 56-year-old Australian 200m record late last year when he clocked in at 20.04 seconds.
That was a time faster than what Bolt ran at the same age (20.13).
But Kennedy has bragging rights over the rising star after beating Gout last month in the 200m at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne.
Gout was born in Queensland, Australia to parents from South Sudan.
His parents moved to Australia two years before he was born.