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In a day that lit up the track in Perth, 17-year-old Australian sprinter Gout Gout turned heads around the world by breaking the 10-second barrier not once, but twice in the same day during the under-20 100m at the Australian Athletics Championships. Though the tailwinds were too strong for either 9.99-second dash to count as an official personal best, the message was loud and clear—Gout Gout is a name the world should remember.
What makes Gout's performance so remarkable is that before this race, he had never dipped below 10 seconds. His morning heat set the stage—clocking in at 9.99 seconds with a 3.5m/s tailwind, he cruised across the finish line, easing up toward the end to conserve energy. Hours later, in the final, Gout did it again. With a slower start than expected but a blistering mid-race surge, he repeated the exact same time, this time pushed by a 2.6m/s tailwind.
The crowd went wild, and even though the times won't be official due to wind assistance, the performance further confirmed Gout's growing legend. After all, this is the same teenager who ran 10.57 seconds at just 14 years old, sparking global comparisons to none other than Usain Bolt.
Gout's recent track record has been nothing short of electrifying. In March, he ran a world-leading 20.05 seconds in the 200m—just a breath away from his own Australian record. Then, in a stunning performance at the Queensland State Championships, he became the first Australian ever to clock sub-20 in the 200m with a wind-assisted 19.98.
But despite the soaring expectations and media buzz, Gout remains grounded. "I didn't get the start I anticipated but I just focused on what I needed to focus on," he said after the race. "There are those moments when the media gets too much, but I just let it sink in and focus on training."
And he's not done yet. Gout is set to return to the track on Sunday for the men's 200m, where he'll be chasing another personal best—this time, hopefully with legal wind.
For now, Gout Gout may not have official sub-10 status, but his performances have already placed him firmly in the fast lane toward greatness.
