Gout Gout rival runs record 100m time - but it won't count
Australia could be genuine contenders for 4x100m relay gold at the 2028 Olympic Games in 2028.
Gout Gout is the talk of the athletics world and tipped by many in the know to be a possible challenger for Usain Bolt's 100m world record, but he's expected to be part of a spectacular team in Los Angeles in two years' time.
One of the teenager's probable teammates is 25-year-old Eddie Nketia, who is showing all the signs of breaking Australia's 100m record before Gout Gout clocks in below the standing national record of 9.93 seconds.
Nketia switched his international allegiance from New Zealand to Australia and was in action for the University of Southern California at an athletics championships in Nebraska on Sunday.
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He ran the 100m and 200m, covering the shorter distance in a remarkable time of 9.74 seconds – just 0.16 seconds slower than Bolt's world record 9.58 seconds in 2009.
It was the second time Nketia has run below the Aussie record but both have been achieved with an excessive tailwind.
His time in Nebraska will be kept out of the record books by a tailwind of 5.6 metres per second, which far exceeds the legal limit of 2.0 metres per second.
Nevertheless, there's excitement about Nketia's pace and the athlete himself is keen to prove his capabilities on the sport's biggest stages.
"It’s crazy man, to run 9.74 even with the wind," Nketia told the media after his 9.74-second run.
"It shows I’m getting better and can see the progress and the season isn’t over yet.
"I’m really hoping this season on the back of that to get a legal PB and show I can compete. The all-conditions record is nice, but I really want that actual record.
"I think the future is bright. When I get out of college I’m looking forward to competing everywhere, including hopefully Europe this year."
Why Gout Gout is tipped as a future record breaker
While Nketia is firing on all cylinders in the year before a world championships, the attention remains on his young teammate.
18-year-old Gout has a recorded 100m personal best of 10.00 seconds, eight hundredths of a second faster than Nketia's equivalent.
While he's yet to book a run of under 10 seconds, the sprint wonderkid has caught the eye with some times that mark him out as faster than Bolt at the equivalent ages.
He holds the under-20 world record for the 200m.
Chris Nee