Gout Gout’s 200m world record made official by World Athletics
Gout Gout has become a world record holder, after his stunning 200m Australian Championships win was made official by World Athletics. Find out what’s next for the Aussie track sensation
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Aussie sprint sensation Gout Gout has officially become a world record holder, after his 200m time set in Sydney two months ago was ratified* by World Athletics.
Gout’s incredible 19.67 seconds (+1.7) came at the Australian Championships, breaking Erriyon Knighton’s 2022 under-20 record by 0.02 seconds.
However, there was a question mark over the event’s conditions, given seven finalists broke their personal best, some by as much as 0.2 seconds.
But on Tuesday, the sport’s governing body confirmed Gout’s performance, along with five others, had been ratified as world records.
“Australian sprinter Gout stormed to his world U20 200m record of 19.67 when retaining his title at the Australian Championships in Sydney on 12 April,” World Athletics said in its statement.
“The 18-year-old smashed his previous PB* of 20.02, which was also the senior Oceanian* record. He also took 0.02 off the world U20 record of 19.69 set by Erriyon Knighton in Eugene in 2022.”
Gout will run in the Diamond League* next week before attending the U20 World Championships in Oregon in August, which he has prioritised over the Commonwealth Games held a couple of weeks earlier.
Some people had expressed doubt over whether Gout’s result was valid given the windy conditions and strong performance of so many runners during the race.
However, Gout said he wouldn’t let the criticisms of others get him down.
“There are always going to be haters – if you have haters it means you are doing something right,’’ Gout said at the time.
“It is what it is. I never take it to heart, I just keep running and obviously it was a bit fast so that’s maybe why they were a bit mad.’’
POLL
GLOSSARY
- ratified: when a race result or record is officially approved by a governing body as an official record
- PB: Personal Best, the fastest time a runner has recorded for a race or distance
- Oceanian: the geographical region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and the Pacific Islands
- Diamond League: the highest level, invitation-only track and field circuit in the world
EXTRA READING
Gout Gout out of Comm Games
Gout wins 200m in Euro debut
Gout Gout beaten by Aussie rival
QUICK QUIZ
1. What is Gout Gout’s world record?
2. How many finalists broke their personal best during that event?
3. Why was there a question mark over the event’s conditions?
4. What was the previous record set by Erriyon Knighton in 2022?
5. Which event is Gout prioritising over the 2026 Commonwealth Games?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. News: condensed
Identify the most important pieces of information in this article and write a condensed version of it using 50 words or less.
Draw a picture or diagram to support your condensed news story.
Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science
2. Extension
Compare your condensed news story with a classmate. Did you both include the same information or are your stories quite different? Discuss your choices and then work together to create a final condensed version of the story that you both agree tells the important parts that a reader would need or want to know.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
VCOP ACTIVITY
I’ve always wanted to know
If you had the opportunity to talk to Gout Gout or another athlete you admire and ask them five questions, what would you ask them?
Come up with five different questions. Challenge yourself to use different question stems (question openers words) to write your questions, and don’t forget to end with a question mark.