Teenage sprinter Gout Gout has created a buzz in Australian athletics by running the 100 metres in under 10 seconds twice in a single day. The 17-year-old achieved this rare feat at the national championships in Perth, but unfortunately, the times won’t be recorded officially due to strong tailwinds.
Still, the young star’s performance has caught national attention and given a big boost to the excitement around athletics in Australia.
Gout Gout’s Historic Sprint
Gout ran 9.99 seconds in both the heat and the final of the under-20 men’s 100m event. But according to athletics rules, a tailwind above 2.0 metres per second (m/s) makes the timing unofficial. In the heat, the wind was 3.5m/s, and during the final, it was 2.6m/s.
Despite this, Gout stayed positive. “Sometimes it’s frustrating, but you know, you can’t control the wind,” he said after the race. “You’ve got to learn how to run with it or against it.”
Only the Third Australian to Run Sub-10
Although not official, Gout becomes just the third Australian sprinter to ever run under 10 seconds in any conditions. The first was Patrick Johnson, who set the Australian record at 9.93s in 2003, and the second was Rohan Browning, who clocked 9.96s with wind assistance in 2021.
Gout already holds the Australian national record for 200m at 20.04s, set in December. His strong start to the season has raised hopes of even greater things to come.
Thousands Gather to Watch Gout
The crowd at the WA Athletics Stadium showed how popular Gout has become. Thousands of fans turned up for his races, and over 80 journalists and photographers were present — almost three times more than the previous year.
“This is what Athletics Australia needs,” Gout said proudly. “This is why we train. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Gout is expected to run the open 200m final on Sunday, where he will face Lachie Kennedy, who beat him just two weeks ago.
Exciting Action in Other Events Too
In the women’s 1500m heat, Jessica Hull, who recently won a silver medal in Paris, returned to Australia after racing in Jamaica just five days earlier. She still managed to win her heat narrowly over Georgia Griffith.
In the men’s 1500m heats, 18-year-old Cameron Myers impressed everyone by winning in 3:38.20. National record holder Olli Hoare and last year’s champion Adam Spencer also won their respective heats.
Hoare said, “Even though we’re thinking about the world championships, it’s always great to race the best in Australia.”
Two Para Athletes Set World Records
In an emotional moment, Reece Langdon, a Paralympian in the T38 classification, set a new world record of 3:46.83 in the 1500m despite being unwell just hours before the race.
“I was vomiting and almost didn’t run,” he said. “But I got off the line and the adrenaline took over.”
In the long jump, Vanessa Low broke her own world record in the T61 classification by leaping 5.71 metres, beating her previous mark of 5.45m.