Australian sprint sensation Gout has shattered the country’s men’s 200m record, breaking Peter Norman’s 20.06 seconds set at the 1968 Olympics. Gout clocked an impressive 20.04s in the All-Schools Championships final, becoming the fastest 16-year-old in history over 200m and setting a new benchmark after 56 years.
Gout’s remarkable performance came as no surprise to fans of sprinting great Usain Bolt, who has drawn comparisons between Gout’s talent and that of the Jamaican legend. The Australian’s impressive speed has garnered attention from around the world, with his viral video clip in August sending shockwaves through the athletics community.
“It’s going to be a great future for sure,” Gout said after the record-breaking performance. “I didn’t expect it to be that fast, but I guess I ran Australia’s fastest ever time in the 200m.”
Gout’s achievements are all the more impressive considering he was just 14 when he set a new Australian 100m record in 2022. The 17-year-old has been steadily improving his times over the past two years, with a recent 20.60s clocking at the World Athletics U20 Championships putting him in the same league as Bolt.
The new record has reignited comparisons between Gout and Norman, who wore a badge on his breast during the 1968 Olympics that read “Olympic Project for Human Rights.” The organization was set up to oppose racism in sport, and Norman’s courageous stance sparked the iconic Black Power salute by Tommie Smith and John Carlos.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/07/sport/gout-gout-breaks-australian-200m-record-spt-intl/index.html