Gout Gout hits back at critics who labelled his record-breaking run as 'fake'

Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout has hit back at the so-called "haters" who have labelled his record-breaking 200m run as "fake".

The 18-year-old, who is widely regarded as the most talented sprinter of his generation, became the first Australian to break the 20-second barrier at 200m on Sunday (April 12), clocking a time of 19.67 seconds with a legal +1.7 metres per second tailwind.

It was a headline-making sprint from Gout, who ran 200m faster than Usain Bolt did at the same age.

But not everyone was convinced by the circumstances surrounding Gout's victory, including American sprinter Erin Brown, who falsely claimed that his record was "clearly fake" because it was recorded with an illegal tailwind.

If a tailwind exceeds an average velocity of +2.0 metres per second, it is called illegal, but Gout's run at the National Athletics Championships in Sydney was deemed legal after the race was completed in a wind speed of -1.7m/s.

On Friday, Gout responded to Brown's comments after he ran a 10.19 in the 100m heats of the Australian Athletics Junior Championships in Brisbane.

“There’s always going to be haters. If there’s haters, it means you are doing something right,” he told reporters. “It is what it is. I never take it (to heart) so I just keep running. It was pretty fast so that’s probably why they were mad."

“It motivates me to do an even bigger race and run even faster," added Gout.

GOUT GOUT RESPONDS! 🗣️

Gout Gout hits back at overseas critics who have labelled his record-breaking run as 'fake'.

STORY 👉 https://t.co/aH2gOsZ5g2 pic.twitter.com/jxCUI9ajW4

— Herald Sun Sport (@heraldsunsport) April 17, 2026

Olympic gold medalist Justin Gatlin has questions around Gout Gout's level

Speaking after Gout became the first Australian to break the 20-second barrier at 200m, former Olympic champion Justin Gatlin challenged the 18-year-old to step beyond his comfort zone.

“You’ve got to do it outside of Australia. Show us you can do it outside Australia. That’s the thing,” Gatlin said.

“You can run fast in comfort, everyone can run fast in comfort. But can you run fast in discomfort? That’s where it’s at. That’s going to be a challenge for him because he’s so used to running in Australia.”

Last year, Gout was chosen to represent Australia at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where he became the youngest sprinter ever to feature in a World Championships over 200m.

He finished in third place in his heat to reach the semi-finals, running a time of 20.22 seconds, but failed to make it through to the final after a run of 20.38.