GOUT GOUT RULED OUT OF WORLD U20 CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH HAMSTRING TEAR

Australian sprinter Gout Gout will miss the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships after sustaining a serious hamstring injury during training in Brisbane. The 18-year-old announced the withdrawal via social media, revealing that an MRI scan confirmed a grade three tear affecting more than 8 centimetres of his left hamstring. Gout stated he would be sidelined for the remainder of the year and unable to compete at the championships in Eugene, scheduled for August. He expressed disappointment at the outcome but said he had "no other possibility but to accept the situation".

The scan report, which Gout quoted publicly, detailed partial disruption of the tendon involving less than 10 per cent of its cross-sectional area. The teenager had targeted the under-20 200-metre title after breaking the world record for that age group at the Australian nationals in April with a time of 19.67 seconds, a mark later formally ratified by World Athletics. Gout previously took silver in the 200-metre at the 2024 World U20 Athletics Championships whilst competing as a 16-year-old, finishing in 20.60 seconds behind South Africa's Bayanda Walaza. His recent international appearances included a Diamond League debut in Oslo in June, where he finished sixth in the 200-metre, and a third-place finish in a 150-metre race against training partner Noah Lyles last month.

Gout stated his intention to return to competition in 2027, declaring he would come back "better and faster and stronger". The injury represents a significant setback for one of the sport's emerging talents in the sprint events.