Australian Teen Breaks 20-Second Barrier in 200m

COLOMBO (News 1st); Australian 17-year-old sprinting sensation Gout Gout continues to make headlines, showcasing his extraordinary talent at the Queensland State Championships.

On Sunday, Gout ran the fastest 200-meter time in the world this year, clocking in at 20.05 seconds during the heats, just 0.01 seconds shy of his own Australian record.

In a historic final, Gout became the first Australian to break the 20-second barrier, finishing with a time of 19.98 seconds.

Unfortunately, the record will not stand due to illegal wind conditions (+3.6m/s).

Despite this, Gout's performance was nothing short of remarkable, as he finished more than two seconds ahead of his competitors in the men's under-20 200m final.

Gout had previously broken Peter Norman's Australian 200m record of 20.06 seconds in December at the age of 16, a record that had stood since 1968.

The day before, he ran a wind-assisted personal best of 10.04 seconds in the 100m, marking the fourth-fastest time in history for an under-18 athlete.

Although his time in Sunday's final won't be recorded officially, Gout joins an elite group of only seven athletes under the age of 20 to run a sub-20-second 200m in all wind conditions.

This further cements his potential to become one of track and field's all-time greats. Legendary sprinter Usain Bolt, who ran similar times at Gout's age, has even remarked that Gout "looks like young me."

Gout also claimed the under-20 100m title at the Queensland State Championships on Saturday with a time of 10.38 seconds, nearly half a second faster than the rest of the field. He is set to compete next at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne on March 29.

Source: CNN