“The train hasn’t just left the station—it’s taking us somewhere interesting.” That quote from Coach Rob, a longtime track analyst, might’ve started as a moment of surprise, but it now reads like a warning. Because when a 17-year-old runs the 200 meters faster than Usain Bolt at the same age and in front of a home crowd, it’s no longer just hype. Its arrival. But Gout Gout didn’t just arrive at the 2025 Australian Athletics Championships. No, he stormed it. But as the hype train grows faster, there are still some lingering doubts. But why?
Well, it’s not easy being thrust into the spotlight of a legacy that looms as large as Bolt’s. But Gout Gout, the Aussie speedster with the name that already feels like a brand, knows that weight all too well. Instead of shying away, Gout delivered the kind of performance that turns whispers into roars, blazing a wind-aided 19.84 in the national final, silencing critics and lighting up the world stage in one breathtaking sprint.
Rob, in his trademark late-night breakdown on YouTube titled “Gout just did the Unthinkable AGAIN?!” laid it out like only he could. “I admit that I was skeptical—and for that matter, maybe to some degree, I still am. But there is a difference between being a skeptic and being a cynic.” And honestly, he’s not alone. For weeks, people watched the viral clips. They saw the flashy wind-aided run in the 100m and debated whether it was all just smoke. Gout heard it all!
The online noise, the doubts, the whispers that he wasn’t ready for the big leagues. But then came the 200m final on April 13, and with it, a scorching 19.84. It may have come with a +2.2 m/s tailwind, but no one could deny the fire behind it. As Rob went on to say, “Gout is giving me a whole lot of evidence to actually pay attention to.” And the receipts are piling up fast. Is that 19.84?
It’s the second-fastest Under-20 200m ever run under any conditions. And that’s before we even get to what it means in context. When he ran that time, Gout officially clocked faster than Usain Bolt ever did before turning 18. Let that sink in. This is a kid who, at 16, had already taken down Bolt’s age-16 record from 2003 with a 20.04 of his own. The storm’s just been brewing for a while.
Rob summed it up best: “When I woke up and looked at the results… I saw the numbers: 19.84 seconds. Slightly wind-assisted at 2.2 m/s. But that time? That time is fast enough to make him a very legitimate player on the world stage.” Gout’s performance wasn’t just a flex. It was a statement.
Not to mention when Rob added, “When I say he’s on Knighton’s level, I mean it. We’re talking about the same age, same performance, and same stage.” He wasn’t exaggerating. Comparing Gout to Erriyon Knighton, the 20-year-old U.S. prodigy, isn’t a stretch anymore. It’s a fair assessment.
A rivalry Australia didn’t know it needed
The track world experienced Gout’s sensational performance, but right before this event, Lachlan Kennedy surprised everyone by setting another incredible record in Perth. During a 100m heat at the stadium, Kennedy achieved a speed of 10.00 flat, which became the fastest legal time ever run by an Australian runner. Only Patrick Johnson’s 9.93 from 2003 stands ahead of it. Even crazier?
Kennedy managed a +0.9 tailwind to break the tape in 10.00 seconds and didn’t even dip at the line. “I was staring at the clock with like 30 meters to go and I was like, ‘Shit, I might get this,’” he laughed. “I think with a dip it could’ve been nine [seconds], but I’ve got two more races to do that.” The timing couldn’t have been more electric.
Just one night earlier, Gout Gout had run 9.99 not once, but twice in the U20 100m final. Sure, both were wind-aided and ineligible for official records, but the message was loud and clear. He’s coming. Kennedy, though? He’s keeping it fun and spicy. “The race for a legal 19 [in the 200m] and the race for a legal nine [in the 100m], it’s so on,” he grinned.
When asked what it would mean to beat Gout to that sub-10 milestone, Kennedy didn’t hesitate: “There’ll be a bit of chirping, for sure. It’s all good fun.” And this sprint saga already has some spicy backstory. Back at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne, Kennedy shocked the field. Edging out Gout in the 200m by just 0.04 seconds. Gout didn’t forget.
In Perth, he answered back with fire, reclaiming the spotlight and leveling the score. Now it’s 1–1, and with both chasing history, the next punch could land any minute. Australia might just be witnessing the birth of its greatest sprinting rivalry yet.
The post Track and Field Coach Reveals Skepticism With Gout Gout Despite Shattering Usain Bolt’s Record at 18 appeared first on EssentiallySports.