Australian teenage running star Gout Gout smashes sprint record

Australian teen runner Gout Gout has proved himself a star in the making after he smashed the 200m sprint record at the All Schools Queensland track and field championships.

The 16-year-old Queenslander had already been compared to Jamaican running legend Usain Bolt* after winning the silver medal at the world under-20 championships in Peru in August with a time of 20.60 seconds — just 0.01 seconds faster than Bolt at the same age.

But this time, Gout, who was running for Ipswich Grammar School, lowered his personal best to a remarkable 20.29 seconds in the heat of the 200m sprint.

The time was so quick, Gout Gout was the fastest in the under-18 preliminaries* by 1.78 seconds, ahead of St Laurance’s Terrell Thorne, who qualified second in 22.07.

To put the performance in perspective, Gout Gout not only smashed the Queensland Open 200m record, the Australian under-18 and under-20 records, as well as the Oceania* under-18 and under-20s records, but also became the fourth fastest Australian in history over 200m and registered the equal seventh fastest time.

While Gout broke his own under-18 records, he lowered Aidan Murphy’s under-20s record of 20.42 set in 2022.

HOW DOES GOUT GOUT’S RUN COMPARE?
Historically, Peter Norman’s 1968 run in the final of the Mexico City Olympics remains the fastest ever time by an Australian at 20.06.

In terms of Gout Gout’s performance at the All Schools Queensland track and field championships, the only faster times recorded by Aussies in history were by Norman in 1968, Dean Capobianco in 1993 (20.18, 20.21 and 20.29) and John Dinan in 1986 (20.19).

All three men were in their 20s when they achieved their times – much older than Gout Gout.

It means the 16-year-old’s time was the fastest by an Australian since August 1993, a period of over 31 years.

His time of 20.29 also makes him the equal-28th fastest under-20 man in history — and fourth fastest under-18.

The under-18 time is the 12th fastest in history — behind only the USA’s Erriyon Knighton (seven times), Bolt (three times) and Thailand’s Puripol Boonson.

While Gout couldn’t replicate the same blinding speeds in the final, he still ran his second fastest time of 20.52, with Thorne finishing with the silver in 21.30.

Remarkably, Gout Gout also took out the 100m title, running 10.31 to finish ahead of Heath Smallacombe from St Columban’s College in 10.90.

While that wasn’t Gout Gout’s fastest 100m — he ran 10.29 in March — he remains Australia’s second fastest under-18 over 100m only behind reigning Australian 100m champion Sebastian Sultana, who holds the record of 10.27.

Gout Gout also became a professional athlete* this week, after signing a deal with Adidas.

“I’m super excited to have signed with Adidas,” Gout told Citius Mag.

“I’m not stopping here. I’ll work so hard to repay the faith they have shown me. I’ll stay hungry and chase down what’s next.”

Gout Gout was born in Brisbane to South Sudanese parents.

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GLOSSARY

• Usain Bolt: considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is an eight time Olympic Gold medallist and world record holder in the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay
• preliminaries: the first part of the competition that determines who will go onto to the main competition
• Oceania: a geographical region that includes Australia, Asia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia
• professional athlete: an athlete that gets paid to compete in a sport

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QUICK QUIZ
1. Who is the fastest Australian to run 200m?
2. What year was the fastest time achieved?
3. What time did Gout Gout score at the world under-20 championships in Peru?
4. What was Gout Gout’s fastest 100m sprint?
5. Which sporting label has Gout Gout signed a sponsorship deal with?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Sprint timings
As a class, go outside and measure a 100m and 200m distance. If not enough space, do a loop of 25m. Work in pairs to run the distances while your partner records your time on a stopwatch, wrist watch or other electronic device (such as iPad, laptop etc.)

Record your time in a class chart once back inside.

Compare your times to Gout Gout’s historic times at the recent race meet by copying the chart below.

100m
Gout’s time                      Your time                     Difference

200m
Gout’s best time             Your time                     Difference

Fastest in class:

Difference between Gout’s time and fastest student in your class:

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Mathematics, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Gout Gout is a young Sudanese man born in Australia to South Sudanese parents. Some Sudanese in Australia have the same first and last name because Sudanese family names are not usually spoken verbally and during their immigration their middle name was recorded as their last name instead.

Australia has many professional and gifted athletes from Sudan. What do you think it is about their culture and physical attributes that makes them so successful at a wide range of sports? Talk with a partner and write some ideas below;
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Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Geography, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Be a sports commentator!
Objective: To encourage students to practice writing creatively and engagingly, using vivid language to describe Gout Gout’s impressive achievements.

Instructions: Imagine you are a commentator at the All Schools Queensland track and field championships, and you just watched Gout Gout’s record-breaking 200m sprint. Your job is to describe the race and his incredible performance as if you’re announcing it live on television! Make it exciting and capture the audience’s attention.

Follow these steps:
Describe the Atmosphere:
Imagine what the stadium sounds and feels like. Are the fans cheering? Is everyone on the edge of their seats?

Write 1-2 sentences to set the scene.

Comment on Gout Gout’s Speed:
Describe how fast he’s running! Use exciting words like blazing, lightning, or unstoppable to bring the action to life.

Write 2-3 sentences about his speed and how he’s outpacing the other runners.

Celebrate the Victory:
When Gout crosses the finish line, how would you react as a commentator? Maybe you’d shout, “He did it!” or “A new record!”

Write 2 sentences to celebrate his win and mention his new record-breaking time of 20.29 seconds.

Reflect on His Achievements (Optional Challenge):
If you have extra time, mention some of his incredible accomplishments and how he’s making history in Australian athletics.

Write 1-2 sentences about what makes Gout’s performance so special.

Read over your commentary out loud to yourself to edit. Check that it makes sense, that it’s not repetitive, and that it captures the moment. Then, share it with the class.