"It's definitely frustrating"- Gout Gout makes feelings known about being denied World lead due to illegal wind

Gout Gout expressed his thoughts about being denied the World lead in the 200m after an outstanding performance at the Australian Open and the Under 20 Athletics Championships 2025 in Perth. The 17-year-old dominated the line-up and clocked 19.84s in the 200m with a wind assist of +2.2m/s to win the title.

However, his time wasn't considered to be official for the World lead as per the rules set by World Athletics. According to the official rules set by the governing body of track and field, a tailwind of a speed of 2.0m/s or greater will be considered to be a wind assist and won't be eligible for record recognition.

Currently, the World Lead in the 200m is set by South Africa's Sinesipho Dambile with a performance of 20.01 (-1.8) at the National Stadium in Gaborone, Botswana, on April 12, 2025. Gout Gout spoke about his recent performances in a post-race interview and weighed in on his time having a tailwind greater than the eligible limits and missing out on being recognized as the World Lead in the 200m.

The Australian athlete expressed his frustration but shared how it is a part of the process, and he hoped to improve as he moved further in the 2025 track season.

"It's definitely frustrating. I run fast times, but the wind is not on my side.These are the steps we take to the top, you know? And these are the steps I have to take to potentially become world champion, Olympic champion," he said.

Furthermore, the 17-year-old's coach expressed how the youngster's popularity has been on the rise, and he is constantly working to gear up for major races later this year.

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Gout Gout on comparison's with Usain Bolt

Gout Gout at the Queensland Athletics Championships - Source: Getty

Ever since Gout Gout rose to prominence with his incredible performances across both the 100m and the 200m, the Australian has often been compared to the legendary athlete Usain Bolt. He spoke about being compared to the legendary Jamaican athlete in his appearance on the Beyond the Records podcast with Noah Lyles, Grant Holloway, and Rai Benjamin.

The Australian athlete shared how he aims to become one of the greats of the sport with his performances on the track and eventually be named alongside Usain Bolt. Moreover, he expressed how he hoped to inspire the upcoming generation of athletes with his pursuits on the track.

“I'm trying to be the next Gout Gout and obviously being compared to Usain Bolt, everyone wants to be the next star basically and Usain Bolt is the best we've known, the best athlete. So being compared to him is obviously great but then I'm Gout Gout, so I want to be able to make my name as big as his name and obviously everyone, people younger would be like, ‘You're going to be the next Gout Gout’. So, yeah I want to be like that,” he said. [2:10 onwards]

As the 2025 season unfolds, fans are excited to witness a great clash between the Australian prodigy, Noah Lyles, Kishane Thompson, and some of the fastest athletes in the world in the sprinting division.