Gout Gout wins 100 meters at Australian junior track titles but misses national record 

Gout Gout, right, waves while winning the junior 100-meter race at the Australian Athletics Junior Championship in Brisbane, Saturday [AP Photo]

Talented sprinter Gout Gout waved to the crowd over the final few meters on Saturday while winning the Australian junior 100-meter race in 10.21 seconds.

The 18-year-old Australian had to recover from a less than perfect start and he was second after 50 meters. But he forced his way through the field to beat Zavier Peacock (10.35) and Uwezo Lubenda (10.37).

“Obviously, I didn’t have the best start, but I came out for the W (win) pretty much,” Gout said. “I was waving to my family, fans and a couple of friends … the more of a show, the more people who are going to come and watch.”

With the win Saturday he qualified for the world under-20 championships in Eugene, Oregon, from Aug. 5-9.

Gout missed out on his goal of breaking the 10-second mark. He had earlier cruised into the final with a time of 10.44 seconds in his semifinal, sprinting into a strong headwind at his home track in Brisbane.

On Friday, Gout qualified fastest for the 100 final. His weekend times were not quick enough to lower Patrick Johnson’s national open record for the 100 of 9.93, set in Japan in 2003.

Gout said he enjoyed the big crowds over the past few days at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre.

“The more people there are, the more pressure,” he said after the final. “The more pressure, the faster you run, so putting on a show is definitely great. At the end of the day, I’m going to go out there and have a bit of fun.”

The win came 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. 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, Oregon 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.

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.