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By:
BBC
- April 12, 2026 14:17 am
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Australian teenager Gout Gout has run 200 meters faster than sprint legend Usain Bolt at the same age.
The 18-year-old clocked a brilliant time of 19.67 seconds to win at the Australian national championships on Sunday.
It was the first time Gout had broken below 20 seconds on a regular basis, having clocked 19.84 seconds last season. His time is currently the world's best for the year.
He had previously set the fastest ever record for a 16-year-old with a time of 20.06 seconds, when he became famous in 2024. Sunday's result in Sydney is faster than the 19.93 time that Usain Bolt achieved in 2004.
The other Australian athlete, Aidan Murphy, who came in second, also went under 20 seconds with a time of 19.88.
"This is what I've been waiting for," said Gout, born in Queensland to parents originally from South Sudan.
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"Australia has incredible athletes and competing with them, we push each other to the limits. Two Australians under 20 seconds, that's incredible. Now I feel more relieved because I achieved this time regularly and I know I have the speed and the body for such results. I feel very good and I'm ready for more," he said.
Gout has announced that he will miss the Commonwealth Games, which begin on July 23 in Glasgow, to focus on the U-20 World Championships in Oregon in early August.
