Australian Sprinter Gout Gout Withdraws From U20 World Championships After Suffering A Hamstring Injury

New Delhi, July 9: Australian young sprint sensation Gout Gout has been ruled out of the World Athletics U20 Championships after suffering a hamstring injury during training. The injury has dealt a major blow to the title hopes for the youngster in the upcoming event in Eugene, Oregon.

In an Instagram post, the 18-year-old announced on Thursday revealed that an MRI scan confirmed a tear in his left hamstring.

I suffered an injury to my left hamstring last night at training in Brisbane," Gout wrote. "I received this morning the MRI report. Unfortunately, the news is not good and I will not be able to compete in Eugene.

The World Athletics U20 Championships are scheduled to take place from August 5 to 9, with Gout set to compete in the 200m and as part of Australia's 4x400m relay team.
The teenage prodigy added that his immediate priority is rehabilitation and that he is determined to return stronger next season.

My focus now is on my rehabilitation and to come back in 2027 better, stronger, and faster. I have no other possibility but to accept this situation. I understand this is part of athletics.

Gout entered the championships as one of the favourites after a remarkable rise over the past two years. Earlier this season, he lowered the world under-20 200m record to 19.67 seconds at the Australian Championships, eclipsing Erriyon Knighton's previous mark of 19.69, set in Eugene in 2022.

The timing also placed him ahead of Usain Bolt's best performance as a teenager. Bolt had clocked 19.93 seconds in 2004 at the age of 17, a mark that stood as the world junior record at the time.

Gout had first grabbed global attention in 2024 when, at just 16 years old, he ran 20.06 seconds to break Australia's long-standing national 200m record. He has since trained alongside Olympic champion Noah Lyles, further underlining his immense potential.
Following the injury, Athletics Australia backed the youngster's decision to skip the championships and focus on recovery.

Gout needs to take the time to rehabilitate, recover, and return. Gout has had a phenomenal couple of years and has a long and exciting athletic career ahead of him," the governing body said.