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Athletics world in frenzy as Aussie sensation Gout Gout betters Usain Bolt with 'insane' feat

The 16-year-old claimed silver in the 200m final at the junior world athletics championships, and so did Torrie Lewis.

sam goodwin
Sports Editor
·5-min read

Aussie sensation Gout Gout has produced a remarkable comeback to claim silver in the 200m final at the world junior athletics championships in Lima. The 16-year-old, who was born in South Sudan, has become an internet sensation in recent weeks, with videos of his exploits going viral online.

And the teenager has taken his talents to the global stage at the world junior athletics championships this week. After storming into the 200m final with a sensational time, Gout missed the start in Friday's medal race (Saturday Australian time).

Torrie Lewis and Gout Gout at the junior world athletics championships.
Torrie Lewis and Gout Gout both won silver for Australia at the junior world athletics championships. Image: Getty/World Athletics

However he powered to the finish line to claim the silver medal after appearing long-odds at the halfway stage. Gout's time of 20.60 bettered the mark Usain Bolt set in the same race 22 years ago. Bayanda Walaza of South Africa ran a 20.54 to win the gold, but is nearly two years older than Gout.

Gout’s time was a personal best and 0.01 seconds faster than what Bolt produced to win the world junior championships in 2002 at the same age. However the Jamaican superstar had run a 20.58 in the opening rounds and also produced a 20.13 while still 16.

Nevertheless, the athletics world was blown away by Gout's run on Friday night. Reporter Mark Gottlieb wrote on social media: "16-year-old Aussie teen track sensation Gout Gout just ran a 20.60 200m in the under 20s World Championships. The winner Bayanda Walaza ran 20.54 but is 22 months older. This kid is going to be a superstar."

Another pundit wrote: "Gout Gout gonna be one to watch. Australia has another sprinter on their hands, maybe we’ll see him in 28 and 32 (Olympics)." While a third commented: "Just remember the name Gout Gout. Missed the start. 16 yo. Wait until he finds the weights room as well as a couple more years of competition. Wowee."

It capped a remarkable night for Australia at the meet, with Torrie Lewis also winning silver in the women's 200m final. Peyton Craig and Claudia Hollingsworth also grabbed silver medals in the men's and women's 800m finals, while Delta Amidzovski (100m hurdles) and Mason McGroder (long jump) took bronze.

Lewis is also being touted as a superstar in the making and produced a personal best time of 22.88 to finish second. The 19-year-old made the semi-finals at the recent Paris Olympics, which came after she beat American superstar Sha’Carri Richardson in the 100m final of a Diamond League event earlier this year.

“I think I was just a lot more relaxed going into these races and it definitely paid off,” she said in Paris after making the 200m semis. “Literally anything can happen. The fastest woman at the time isn’t always going to be the fastest so in these races you can never really give up.”

Torrie Lewis, pictured here at the Paris Olympics.
Torrie Lewis at the Paris Olympics. (Photo by Lui Siu Wai/Xinhua via Getty Images)

South Australian pole vaulter Tryphena Hewett claimed a break-through bronze medal on Thursday. Inspired by Olympic champion Nina Kennedy, Hewett clinched Australia's fourth medal after overcoming a shaky start.

"After the first two fouls, I thought I was going to no-height and I thought if I could just make a height I would be happy," the 18-year-old said. "After that I started to get into a rhythm and slowly found a bit of a groove even though my poles were all over the place.

"I was having a shocking month of training before the Olympics and I didn't even know if I could get my full run working here, but I watched Nina (Kennedy) do her thing and this motivation just clicked. Since then I have been taking off in training, wanting to jump, feeling that confidence she brought by winning that medal."

with AAP