At just 20 years old, Erriyon Knighton is already a celebrity track and field athlete. However, the American sprinter might need to start looking over his shoulders as a new star is on the rise halfway across the world. Australian high schooler Gout Gout has been making ripples at the country’s All Schools Athletics Championships, and he’s done it again!

Yesterday, Gout put the world on notice with his blazing 10.04-second finish in the 100m heats. And now he’s back with more determination to strip up the track pot. The 200m is the Ipswich suburb’s preferred event, and he was unbothered during the race, to say the least. In the process, he also started breathing down on Knighton’s personal best in the distance.

A post by Citius Mag from December 6 highlighted how the Australian teenager came dangerously close to Erriyon Knighton’s 200m American Junior Record of 19.49 seconds. Captioned, “MOMMA, THERE GOES GOUT GOUT AGAIN!” the social media update doesn’t try to hide the disbelief of seeing Gout crossing the finishing line without breaking a sweat. The high school kid went 20.38 in the 200m heat, and one can only wonder what Gout has up his sleeve for the finals.

However, an illegal wind again played spoilsport like yesterday. And yet, Gout remained unfazed, and even the commentators were visibly stunned to see how easily the teen squashed his competition. “He was chilling,” one commentator noted watching the 200m heat, and he wasn’t wrong in saying so. Second-place finisher Chase Grant cooked 21.30 seconds to cross the finishing line, signifying the incredible performance Gout dished out in Brisbane. With that, he also came within grasping distance of Peter Norman’s national U18 record of 20.06 seconds. But this is just the start, as Gout’s fans would see it.

The high school athlete is expected to visit the USA next month to train with the World’s Fastest Man Noah Lyles. Understandably, this has the track and field fans in a trance thinking about how Gout to sharpen his skills further under the watchful eyes of one of the top sprinters of our generation. The Australian will be turning 17 at the end of the month, giving him a good enough window to set a new U18 world record. Are you staying updated, Erriyon Knighton?

Erriyon Knighton needs to find his groove again

Interestingly, this wasn’t even Gout’s best performance in the 200m race. In November, he ran a scintillating 20.29-second finish over the distance at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre. With that, he also clinched the Australian U18 best time and proved without ado that he has plans to become a future track sensation. With the sport experiencing exciting times, it’s time that Erriyon Knighton got his mojo back to make sure he isn’t left in the dust by rising stars in the sky.

In March this year, Knighton’s fans were shocked to learn about the dark clouds of a potential ban hanging over the athlete’s head. The 20-year-old tested positive for trenbolone and faced severe repercussions. However, an independent arbitrator came to the rescue by positing that a ban wouldn’t be the right measure against the tumble, and Erriyon managed to avoid a ban on his running career.

He subsequently set his sights on making a comeback on the track, with promises of bringing the heat after the Diamond League. Keeping up with his words, Knighton won first place (19.93) at the Boris Hanžeković Memorial in Croatia in September, after a fourth-place finish at the 33rd Olympic Games in Paris in August. When do you think Erriyon Knighton will get the ball rolling to keep his competition at bay? Tell us in the comment section!