Gout Gout ruled out of World U20 Championships with torn hamstring

Australian sprint prospect Gout Gout has been forced to withdraw from August’s World Under-20 Championships in Eugene after suffering a torn hamstring during a training session in Brisbane.

The 18-year-old confirmed the setback on social media, revealing that severe MRI scan results meant he could no longer compete in Oregon.

“Unfortunately I suffered an injury to my left hamstring last night at training in Brisbane,” the teenager posted on Instagram.

“I received this morning the MRI report, unfortunately the news is not good and I will not be able to compete in Eugene.”

A major blow for the record-breaking teenager

His absence represents a significant loss for the upcoming championships, where he was widely regarded as the overwhelming favourite to secure gold in the 200m event.

The fast-rising star already holds the under-20 world record for the distance and was also scheduled to feature prominently in his nation’s 4x400m relay squad.

Athletics Australia has pledged to support his recovery, emphasising that the young prodigy still has a bright future ahead of him on the track.

“Gout has had a phenomenal couple of years, and has a long and exciting athletics career ahead of him,” the national governing body stated.

Rapid rise to international prominence

The Australian sensation has experienced a meteoric rise through the global ranks, having recently recorded sprint times faster than Usain Bolt achieved at the same age level.

In April, he secured the Australian national title with a blistering run of 19.67 seconds, shaving 0.02 seconds off American Erriyon Knighton’s previous under-20 world mark.

That historic performance represented his first official sub-20-second sprint, building upon a wind-assisted time of 19.84 seconds he produced last season.

“I have no other possibility but to accept this situation,” he concluded, outlining an ambitious target to come back in 2027 “better and stronger and faster.”