Australia’s next Usain Bolt? Gout Gout breaks 10s barrier at just 17

Australian teen prodigy Gout Gout has once again proven his talent in sprinting as he broke the 10-second barrier for 100m at a Queensland school meet.

The teen sprint sensation completed the 100 meter race in 9.94 seconds but the run won’t officially count because it was hand-timed.

Hand timing typically carries a margin of error of 0.2 to 0.3 seconds, however, the 17-year-old athlete has showcased his ability to cross the 10-second mark.

The previous fastest 100m by the Flash-like runner was 10.17 seconds and he has also recorded a wind assisted 9.99 seconds at the national championships in Perth.

Gout Gout is scheduled to compete in 2025 World Championships in Tokyo and 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and it appears that he was using this event as a warmup for upcoming world championships.

James Templeton, running sensation’s manager, expressed, “It’s a low-key event with the Great Public Schools (GPS) athletics competition, but it’s good to get a run in, a nice little warm up and shows the form he is in for Tokyo in three weeks.”

Templeton added that though the race was hand-timed but it was a good effort and an important step in weeks leading up to Tokyo. 

The World Athletics Championships will be held in Tokyo from 13-21 September 2025.

The fastest 100m ever recorded is still held by Usain Bolt, who ran the distance in record 9.58 seconds at 2009 World Championships in Berlin.