Next Usain Bolt? 16-year-old breaks 200m record in 20.04secs

Brisbane (Australia): Australian teenage sensation Gout Gout has entered the record books by becoming the fastest 16-year-old in history over 200m.

He ran the distance in 20.04 seconds during the Australian schools championships in Brisbane on Saturday, breaking the national record set by Peter Norman when he won silver at the 1968 Olympics, according to a BBC report.

<

Watch 16-year-old Gout Gout break Usain Bolt's Age 16 Group World Record over 200m, clocking 20.04s (+1.5)!

At 16, Usain Bolt covered the distance in 20.13s.

He also breaks the Australian National Record set in 1968 by Peter Norman.pic.twitter.com/Hoh41nRBoS

— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) December 7, 2024 >

Gout's time is the fastest ever by a 16-year-old and the second fastest by an athlete under the age of 18 - behind Erriyon Knighton's 19.84 as a 17-year-old in 2021.

"It's pretty crazy," said Gout.

"Right now I can't process it, but I guess tonight when I go to bed, I'll think about it. These are adults. And me, I'm just a kid, and I'm running them (down).

"I've been chasing that record, but I didn't think it would come this year. I thought it would come maybe next year, the year after that."

At 6ft 2in, Gout's speed and running style has earned him comparisons with Jamaican legend Usain Bolt.

Australian broadcaster ABC said Gout will travel to the United States next month to train with Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles.

The son of migrants from war-torn South Sudan, Gout lives in the Brisbane suburb of Ipswich.

The 2032 Olympics will be held in the Australian city, when Gout would be 24.