Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout will be sidelined until next year after sustaining a severe hamstring injury during a training session in Brisbane. The 18-year-old announced the news on social media on Thursday, confirming the complaint will prevent him from competing in upcoming events, including the World U20 Championships.
Gout Gout revealed that the injury, a partial thickness tear of his left hamstring, also involves significant tendon damage. According to the British Athletics Muscle Injury Classification system, the injury is classified as a grade 3C, indicating a severe and extensive tear.
"Unfortunately I suffered an injury to my left hamstring last night at training in Brisbane," Gout Gout stated. "I received this morning the MRI report, unfortunately the news is not good and I will not be able to compete in Eugene at the World U20 Championships next month."
The teen phenom expressed his disappointment but acknowledged the reality of his situation. "I'm very disappointed but I have no other possibility but to accept the situation," he said. "I understand this is part of athletics. My focus now will be on my rehab in the coming weeks and months and ensuring I come back in 2027 better and stronger and faster."
Gout Gout was considered a strong contender for the 200m sprint at the World U20 Championships, which are scheduled to begin in Oregon on August 5. He holds the under-20 world record for the 200m, having clocked 19.67 seconds at the national championships in Sydney in April. This time surpassed the previous record set by American sprinter Erriyon Knighton and was faster than Usain Bolt's under-20 best of 19.93 seconds.
Earlier in his career, Gout Gout recorded a 100m time of 9.99 seconds, although it was wind-assisted. He recently competed against elite runners at the Diamond League meet in Oslo, finishing sixth, before running 150m in 14.96 seconds in a race against Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles in June.