July 9 (Reuters) – Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout will miss next month’s World Under-20 Championships after suffering a left hamstring tear in training in Brisbane, the 18-year-old said on Thursday.
The sprinter had been selected for Australia’s 200 metres and 4x400m relay teams for the championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Gout had opted to skip this month’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to focus on the World Under-20 Championships, but the injury has cut short his season.
“I’m very disappointed but I have no other possibility but to accept the situation,” he posted on Instagram.
“I understand that 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.”
He stamped his authority after he clocked a world under-20 record of 19.67 seconds in the 200m at the Australian Championships in Sydney in April, breaking his own national record.
He was unable to replicate that performance at last month’s Diamond League meeting, where he finished sixth in 20.60 seconds.
The teenager also finished third in the rarely contested 150m at the Ostrava Golden Spike meeting in the Czech Republic last month, clocking 14.96 seconds.
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
