Australian sprint phenom Gout Gout will miss the rest of the track and field season, including August’s World U20 Championships, after tearing a left hamstring tendon.
“I’m very disappointed but I have no other possibility but to accept the situation,” was posted on Gout’s social media. “I understand this is part of athletics. My focus now will be on my rehab in the coming weeks and months and ensuring I come back in 2027 better and stronger and faster.”
Gout, 18, is the U20 world record holder in the 200m.
He clocked 19.67 seconds at the Australian Championships on April 12, breaking the U20 world record of 19.69 set by American Erriyon Knighton in 2022.
Knighton also ran 19.49 at age 18 in 2022, but that wasn’t ratified as a U20 world record because specific drug-testing requirements were not met.
This year’s U20 Worlds in Eugene, Oregon, from Aug. 5-9 were shaping up to feature a showdown between Gout and American Tate Taylor, a fellow 18-year-old who won the Pre Classic 200m last Saturday in 19.75, beating Olympic gold medalist Letsile Tebogo of Botswana.
In December 2024, Gout broke Usain Bolt’s record as the fastest 16-year-old in history in the 200m, clocking 20.04 seconds three weeks before turning 17.
In 2025, Gout was eliminated in the 200m semifinals in his senior World Championships debut as the youngest man in the field.
Bolt’s best time before turning 20 was 19.88. The Jamaican first ran 19.67 or faster in July 2008, a month before turning 22. He then ran 19.30 one day before turning 22 to win 2008 Olympic gold.
Gout was born in the 2032 Olympic host city of Brisbane two years after his parents moved to Australia from South Sudan, according to Australia’s federation. He turned professional in October 2024.
