Gout Gout, a 17-year-old sprinter from Australia, broke the 10-second 100-meter record twice in one day.
Prior to setting the same time in the final of the Australian Athletics Championships in Perth on Thursday, the teenager, who had never gone below the mark before, had set a time of 9.99 seconds in the under-20 100m heat.
However, because both times were aided by unlawfully strong tailwinds, neither will be considered his official personal best.
The most recent accomplishment in Gout’s bright young career, which gained international attention after he ran the 100m in 10.57 seconds in 2022 at the age of 14, is going under 10 seconds for the first time.
He is regarded as one of the world’s fastest youngsters and has already been compared to the great sprinter Usain Bolt.
In order to conserve his energy for the final, when he recorded the same time, Gout eased up across the finish line after initially blasting through the heats on Thursday.
Although he did not get off to the ideal start in the final, he swiftly overtook his opponents. The adolescent did not slow down this time and kept pushing till he crossed the line.
A 3.5 m/s tailwind helped him throughout the heat, while a 2.6 m/s tailwind helped him at his final time.
That is exactly what I hoped for. When asked about breaking the 10-second barrier after the race, Gout responded, “I can not be happier than that. I did not get the start I anticipated, but I just focused on what I needed to focus on, got through my drive phase, and kept driving and saw the clock.”
This year, Gout has been in excellent condition. In March, he ran a world-record 200-meter pace of 20.05 seconds, which was only 0.01 seconds slower than his own Australian record, which he achieved in December.
Then, in the Queensland State Championships, he ran 19.98 seconds, becoming the first Australian to ever break the 20-second mark in the 200-meter event. However, because to the illegal wind conditions (+3.6m/s), the time will also not be recognized as an official record.
Gout has been hailed as the heir to Bolt’s throne, and the fast times have brought him into the spotlight.
However, Gout relies on taking things one step at a time.
“Obviously, there are times when the media gets too much, but right now, I just let it sink in and concentrate on my training, my race, and finishing the job,” he stated.
On Sunday, Gout will return to the same track to compete in the men’s 200-meter event, where he hopes to set a new personal best.
