Australian sprint phenomenon Gout Gout is facing renewed scrutiny over his stunning 19.67-second performance at the national championships, with American track and field athletes DeVontae Ford and Olumide Olamigoke Jr. casting doubt on the validity of the time.
Record-Breaking Run Under Question
The 18-year-old prodigy clocked a blistering 19.67 seconds in Sydney—a time faster than Usain Bolt managed at the same age. However, the achievement has drawn skepticism from several US athletes. Initial claims of an illegal tailwind were disproven, with a legal 1.7m/s wind recorded at Sydney Olympic Park.
On the FloTrack Meet Up podcast, Ford and Olamigoke Jr. questioned whether the timing was accurate, focusing on the significant personal best improvements of other competitors in the race.
Podcast Criticism
Ford remarked, 'If a bunch of people PR by a large margin, you start questioning if something is wrong with the system.' Olamigoke Jr. added, 'It's the margin of previous personal best to new personal best that raises eyebrows.' Host Nia Gibson listed the top seven finishers' PBs, including Gout's improvement from 20.0 to 19.67, prompting sarcastic reactions from the guests.
Ford also claimed, 'If Gout's 19.67 was at 4.0 wind, I'd believe it. But marked as wind legal makes it questionable.'
Fan Backlash
Fans quickly defended Gout, noting the event was the Australian National Championships, not a 'random' meet. User leo_o3 stated, 'This was Australia's national title event—athletes peak for this.' Another user called the segment 'rage bait,' emphasizing Australia's reliable timing systems.
Previous Criticism
Earlier, US College sprinter Erin Brown claimed on TikTok that the race was 'clearly fake,' citing that multiple athletes ran half a second faster than their PBs. He said, 'Australia keeps producing fake marks.'
Gout has dismissed the criticism, saying, 'Haters mean you're doing something right. It motivates me for bigger races.'
Olamigoke Jr., who competed for Nigeria in the 2016 Olympics triple jump, and Ford, ranked 182nd in 110m hurdles, have faced their own skepticism from fans.
