Perth – For the second time in just days, the wind proved to be both ally and obstacle for teenage sprinting sensation Gout Gout. After recently dipping under 10 seconds for the 100m, the high schooler tore through the 200m in a blistering 19.84 seconds to claim the national title. But with a tailwind of +2.2 m/s—just over the legal limit of +2.0 his incredible time won’t count officially.
Even so, Gout’s performance was electrifying. “It was great 19.84… getting more sub-20s is always good,” he said post-race. “I didn’t feel the wind too much, but I used what I had and just sent it down the straight.”
The slight wind excess may have invalidated the record, but it’s unlikely it made the difference in his sub-20 achievement, given the dominant time. Still, it was frustrating. “I run fast, but the wind’s not on my side… hopefully one day it will be. These are the steps toward becoming world and Olympic champion,” he added.
Things you love to see 😍
Disqualified at the blocks, Lachie Kennedy makes his way down the track to congratulate Gout Gout on his groundbreaking victory! pic.twitter.com/IKZI06VVew
— 7Sport (@7Sport) April 13, 2025
Victory was never in doubt, even though Gout, still a schoolboy, was racing seasoned men. His main competition, Lachie Kennedy, was disqualified after a false start his second warning. Ironically, Kennedy had bested Gout two weeks earlier at the Maurie Plant Meet.
On this hot Perth afternoon, the only real question was whether Gout could crack 20 seconds. He wasn’t racing rivals so much as the clock. “I was disappointed [Kennedy was out]… we planned to push each other for sub-20,” Gout said. After the race, Kennedy jogged down the track to embrace Gout in celebration a moment of sporting camaraderie.
Despite being only 17 and juggling year 12 studies, Gout is taking on grown men and often beating them. “It’s daunting sometimes… they’re older than me, but we all bleed red, we’re all human,” he reflected.
Conditions in Perth were near-perfect 31 degrees during the heat (where he cruised to a 20.21 with ease) and 27 degrees for the final. Gout has already made history: at just 16, he shattered a Peter Norman 200m record dating back to 1968. With Usain Bolt’s 19.19 world record on the horizon, Gout’s rise feels less like a question of “if” and more of “when.”
The multiple false starts in the final added unnecessary tension, and one can only wonder if the wind would’ve stayed legal had the race started cleanly. But such speculation fades in the face of one undeniable truth: Gout Gout is the real deal and greatness is unfolding before our eyes.
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