Gout Gout is the fastest man ever under 20 after record run in Usain Bolt’s favourite race

Australia sprinter Gout Gout is now officially the fastest man in history under the age of 20 after a new world-record run at the Australian Athletics Championships.

Gout, 18, is one of the most talked-about young sprinters in the world right now, and has earned lofty comparisons to Usain Bolt.

He specialises in the 100 and 200-metre disciplines, and holds the Australian U20 record, at 10.00 seconds, in the 100m.

But he now holds both national and world U20 records in the 200m - a discipline Bolt particularly specialised in.

The Jamaican told World Athletics in 2008 that the 200m is his 'best' event, and he repeatedly referred to it as his favourite compared to the 100.

In Sydney, New South Wales, Gout was the class of the field as he stormed to a time of 19.67 - 0.02 seconds than the previous U20 world record held by the currently banned American sprinter Erriyon Knighton.

What was most remarkable about Gout's run was his pacing throughout the race, as he still had work to do heading into the final 100 metres.

Even with around 75 to go, the 18-year-old was still level with his closest rival.

But he raced away from the field over the closing stage of the race, in a style reminiscent of Bolt at his absolute best.

Take a look at his full run below.

WORLD U20 RECORD

Gout Gout creates even more history by winning the 200m final at the Australian Athletics Championships in 19.67 (1.7) 🇦🇺

Not only does he lower his PB from 20.02 but he breaks Erriyon Knighton's world U20 200m record of 19.69 🤯pic.twitter.com/2k5wM5HxuM

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) April 12, 2026

Gout had previously ran a sub-20 second race, but his time was declared illegal as the wind speed exceeded levels deemed to be acceptable by World Athletics.

This one, though, very much counts, with the race ran in a wind speed of -1.7m/s.

Speaking to ABC News afterwards, Gout said: "I've been chasing it ever since I got that illegal sub-20. It's been on my mind all year. Now I've got it for sure.

"I'd written down 19.75 [as a target], and for the past week, in my head, I'd been telling myself that I'd run 19.75. In the end, it was 19.67. I've got to love it!

"I guess you can say it's a big weight off my shoulders, knowing that I ran it legally and that I have the speed in my body to run times like that.

"At the end of the day, it's only me that steps out on that track. So I just think about myself, my training and think about the people in my group, and that takes me far."