World Athletics has formally ratified Gout Gout's 19.67-second run in the 200m final at the Australian Championships in Sydney on 12 April as the World Under-20 record, dismissing scepticism over the performance's validity.
The 18-year-old Australian sprinter improved his personal best by a third of a second on a windy afternoon, with a wind reading of 1.7 metres per second, just inside the legal limit of 2. Runner-up Aidan Murphy clocked 19.88 seconds, the second fastest time in Australian history, and all seven finishers set personal bests.
World Athletics announced the ratification on Tuesday, stating: "Australian sprinter Gout stormed to his world U20 200m record of 19.67 when retaining his title at the Australian Championships in Sydney on 12 April." The time shaved 0.02 seconds off the previous record of 19.69 set by Erriyon Knighton in 2022.
Knighton's 19.49-second run in 2022 was never ratified due to unmet anti-doping testing requirements, and he was later banned for four years for doping in 2025. Gout's record now officially replaces Knighton's 19.69 as the World U20 mark.
Gout is scheduled to race Noah Lyles in a 150m event in Czechia on 16 June.
