Gout Gout defended his national underage title with a scintillating run the in under-20s 100-metre final of the Australian Junior Championships at the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre in Brisbane.

The 18-year-old clocked a time of 10.21 seconds with a legal wind of +0.5 metres per second and even waved to the crowd once he hit the front with 20 metres to go.

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As well as becoming a national junior champion once again, Gout was also hoping to join Lachlan Kennedy (9.96sec) and Patrick Johnson (9.93sec) in Australia’s elite sub-10 second club.

He fell short of that goal, but Gout’s performance also assures he will go to Oregon, United States for the Under-20s World Championships – the event he is prioritising over the Commonwealth Games – in August.

Speaking post-race, Gout said a sub-10-minute was “100 per cent” on the cards.

“I have done 10-flat in my season opener and that race was a bit rocky. Time will tell obviously but I am pretty sure that is coming soon,” Gout said.

“The more of a show there is the more people are going to come and watch. The more people, the more pressure there is. The more pressure, the faster you run. I love putting on a show.”

Gout said his sights were now set on racing Olympic champion and American superstar Noah Lyles.

“I’m fairly sure I’ll be racing him (Lyles), I’m not sure in what exact meet,” Gout revealed.

“It definitely means a lot, knowing I can go up against the Olympic champion and multi-time world champion.

“It definitely feels great and I will definitely up my game for sure versing the best guy in the world right now. I definitely feel great and it will definitely push me along.”

The Queenslander burst onto the scene with silver in the 200 metres at the previous edition in Peru two years ago, running a time of 20.60 aged just 16.

Gout Gout celebrates victory after competing in the final of the Men’s U20’s 100m event during the 2026 Australian Athletics Junior Championships.Source: Getty Images

It was in the 200m where he also made headlines with an astonishing 19.67sec run in Sydney last weekend.

That performance along with Gout running a wind-assisted 9.99sec last year in the 100m at the Australian Athletics Championships and an even 10 seconds at a low-key club meet at QSAC two months ago, had athletics fans dreaming of the youngster breaking the ten-second barrier.

In the aftermath of his incredible effort in Sydney last Sunday, which was the 16th fastest of all-time, several athletes in the United States queried Gout’s run, noting that several sprinters in the race registered personal bests.

Gout Gout breaks own national record | 02:46

But Gout was not dismayed by their claims when asked about the backlash following his heat on Friday – in which he recorded a 10.19 and promised that he had more in the tank.

“I mean, there’s always got to be haters (and) if you’ve got haters, it means you’re doing something right,” he said.

“I mean it is what it is. I just keep running and, I mean, it was pretty fast, so that’s probably why they’re a bit mad, but it is what it is. It just motivates me to do it in even bigger races, for sure, and run even faster.”

Earlier on Saturday, the 18-year-old breezed through the semi-finals despite a strong headwind.

He clocked a 10.45, which was slower than his usual standards, but was still a mightily impressive run considering the wind reading was -2.2 metres per second.