Gout Gout, a 16-year-old sprinter, left spectators stunned after running 100 metres in just 10.2 seconds at this year's Queensland Athletics Championships in Australia. Though he missed the 100m world record of 9.58 seconds, set by legendary sprinter Usain Bolt, by some margin, it's a great feat considering the Gout's age. Gout, born in Australia to Sudanese parents, spent the first 40 metres in line with his fellow sprinters. However, he finished the race around 10 yards in front of the second fastest sprinter, covering the remaining 60 metres in full-throttle. Fans were left awestruck as a video of Gout's incredible sprint surfaced on social media.
Here's how internet reacted:
"He's also run a 20.69 200m which is arguably even more impressive. Rapid!" a fan wrote.
"Gout Gout? More like Goat Goat," another user claimed.
"The way he runs and leaves opponents behind him, remind us a legend. Usain Bolt," another fan quipped.
"He probably lost brakes," a fan joked.
"Cheat code," another user exclaimed.
This comes after Gout set a new national under-18 200m record last year at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships in Brisbane. He clocked 20.87 seconds, which was less than 0.30 from eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt's record at the same age.
Earlier this month, US sprint king Noah Lyles powered to gold by just five thousands of a second in the closest 100m in modern Olympic history at Paris 2024.
It was billed as one of the most open 100m finals ever and it did not disappoint, Lyles dipping to gold in 9.79sec, just three hundredths of a second separating the first four.
"I'm the wolf amongst wolves," said the outspoken Lyles, who see himself as the rightful sprinting heir to the legendary Usain Bolt.
"It's the one I wanted," said Lyles. "It's the hard battle, it's the amazing opponents."
The American had failed to impress in his heat or semi-final, winning neither after sluggish starts.
But in the final he burst out of the blocks quicker and muscled through the field, pushing Jamaica's Kishane Thompson and US rival Fred Kerley into silver and bronze by the tightest of margins.
The shock 100m winner in Tokyo, Italy's Marcell Jacobs, came fifth despite registering a season's best 9.85sec.
No US athlete had won the 100m since Justin Gatlin at the 2004 Athens Games and the Americans were still smarting after Julien Alfred from tiny St.Lucia beat hot favourite Sha'Carri Richardson in the women's 100m final on Saturday.
(With AFP Inputs)