There is a contender for a new world record holder for the fastest man alive. Gout Gout, an 18 year old Australian runner, broke Usain Bolt’s record from when he was 17 in the Senior Australian Championships.
Gout ran a 19.67 second 200 meter dash. This is faster than Usain Bolt’s time at 17 years old, who is the current world record holder for the 200 meter sprint. His time at age 17 was 19.93 seconds. Bolt never improved on his time while he was a teenager, but he set the world record when he was 22 years old.
The current world record for the fastest 200 meters is Usain Bolt’s 2009 record of 19.19 seconds. Gout’s new time makes him the 16th fastest man and the youngest in the top 20 by three years. His previous achievements include winning silver and placing top eight in the World U20 Championships.
Gout has received worldwide attention for his accomplishments. He has gotten praise and encouragement from his fellow runners including Usain Bolt and Letsile Tebogo. Tebogo, a Botswana runner, said last year that he believes Gout has the potential to be one of the greatest athletes in history.
Bolt has spoken on Gout’s record saying, “At that young age, because I was there, you start getting put left and right and then you forget track and field. Hopefully, he has the right set of people to guide him and keep him focused on track and field because the rest of the stuff will always be there. But if you mess up on track and field, then it all goes away.”
Bolt is sympathetic to Gout’s circumstances because he too was centerstage as a teenager. With the news coverage on this new time he faces a lot of criticism and scrutiny on himself and his sport. Many people have been known to leave sports because of familial or societal pressure.
Recent confirmation has said that Gout will make his senior debut on the Diamond League circuit, athletics’ premier global series, in Oslo, Norway on June 10. This race will have him competing against Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo. Tebogo holds the fifth spot for the fastest 200 meter with a time of 19.46 seconds. He also placed first in the World Championships in 2025, breaking 10 seconds in the 100 meter. He also holds a silver medal in both the Olympics and World Championships.
There is talk and hype around the 2032 Olympics, being held in Australia, that could potentially have an Australian athlete win in track and field. Gout is on track to break Usain’s world record time and medal in the Olympics. Gout is working to make a name for himself, which will surely happen with his widening fame.