After breaking the 20-second barrier with a sprint over 200 meters – and drawing comparisons to the great Usain Bolt in the process – the question now is, how fast can Gout go?
“How long is a piece of string?” said Gout’s coach and mentor, Di Sheppard, after clocking 19.67 seconds at the Australian Championships in Sydney on Sunday.
The time broke his own national record of 20.02 seconds and was good enough for him to become the first Australian to record a legal time under the magical 20-second barrier.
With another hugely impressive run in the same race Aidan Murphy soon moved into second place, just a step behind, but Gout stole the headlines as he bettered Bolt’s best, while the Jamaican sprint great was also of the same age.
The only person under the age of 20 who has run faster than 200 meters is Erion Knighton, although the American’s time, now banned in 2022, was unproven.
Comparisons with the Jamaican great are perhaps unhelpful at this early stage of Gout’s career, but given his apparent upward trajectory, there is hope in his camp that Bolt’s longest Open record of 19.19 seconds, set in 2009, will be the next to fall.
The 18-year-old’s manager, James Templeton, said immediately after Sunday’s race that he was thrilled but not surprised by the time.
“Last year he ran 19.84 with a slight lead at nationals, so we always felt like this was his last year, and he didn’t get the opportunity to run (again last year),” Templeton said.
Gout’s timing at the 2025 championships put the athletics world on notice and he said a legal sub-20 time has become his goal since then.
“I’ve been chasing that illegal Sub-20 ever since I found it,” Gout said. “So, it’s been on my mind all year, the last few months, so glad I definitely got it.
“I wrote 19.75 and for the last week I’ve been telling myself I’m running 19.75. And obviously… 19.67… gotta love it.”
Ominously for its rivals, Gout has no plans to rest on its laurels.
“It’s absolutely crazy. I guess you could say it’s been a big weight off my shoulders, knowing that I run legit and I have the speed in my body to run like that. So, it definitely feels great. I’m ready for more.”
“I’ve just turned 18, so I definitely feel I can go faster. It’s just about making and getting sub-20 (times). There’s no pressure for me. At the end of the day, I’m the one who goes out there alone.”
Next up for Gout is the Under-20 Junior Championships this week, although he will skip the 200m in Queensland and only run the 100m, before heading overseas for a thrilling showdown with reigning Olympic champion Noah Lyles over 150m at the Golden Spike event in Ostrava in June.
