The 17-year-old Australian of South Sudanese heritage bags the national 200m title two days after winning the 100m race.
Teenager Gout Gout has reinforced his growing reputation as one of the best young sprinters in the world by clocking a wind-assisted 19.84 seconds to win the Australian 200-metre title.
His blistering run on Sunday was the second fastest ever by an athlete below 20 years under all conditions, surpassing Usain Bolt’s 19.93 in 2004 and Justin Gatlin’s 19.86 in 2001.
It followed the 17-year-old storming to the 100m crown at the Australian Athletics Championships in Perth on Friday in 9.99 seconds.
That too was achieved with a tailwind slightly above the permitted limit, so it will not make the record books.
His rapid development is generating growing interest, with the lanky schoolboy described this year by World Athletics President Sebastian Coe as a rare talent.
“Feels really good, that’s what I’ve been chasing,” Gout said after smashing through the 20-second barrier.
“Top speed is my gift. I used it, took off and I got sub 20, so I couldn’t be happier.”
Gout, who was born in Australia after his parents migrated from South Sudan, rose to prominence in December when he clocked the quickest 200m time ever by a 16-year-old of 20.04 seconds, bettering Bolt’s personal best at the same age.
He had to keep his nerve in the 200m race after two athletes false-started, including main challenger Lachlan Kennedy, before Gout exploded from the blocks and left the rest in his wake.
“I was a bit nervous,” he admitted. “But in my head, I’m just keeping my composure, keeping calm, because this stuff happens, you can’t really control it.
“So I just made sure I didn’t false start or be unsteady, and I took off.”
In December, Coe termed Gout a rare talent but said he would need “nurturing and protecting”.
The lanky athlete has inevitably drawn comparisons with eight-time Olympic gold medallist Bolt at the same age.
But Coe said the teenager must be handled carefully.
“He is clearly talented, but there is a bit of realism here as well,” the athletics chief said.
“He is an outstanding talent. But I think anybody that you speak to in the upper echelons of Australian coaching and certainly here at World Athletics will tell you that the biggest challenge in coaching is taking a really talented 17- to 18-year-old into the upper echelons of the senior teams.”
Coe added: “We have to be realistic about this … the vast majority of people who win world junior titles don’t go on to compete for their national team at senior level.
“This is a rare and precious talent that will need nurturing and protecting.”
