Running News Daily

South Africa’s Bayanda Walaza delivered another electrifying performance on the European circuit, storming to victory in the men’s 100m at the 62nd Palio Città della Quercia in Rovereto, Italy.

Walaza stopped the clock at a blistering 9.91 seconds, with a legal +0.5 m/s tailwind, to not only secure the win but also shatter the meeting record. His performance erased the previous mark of 9.98 seconds.

The 20-year-old South African produced a commanding run against a strong international field, holding off Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu, who finished second in 10.01, while Canada’s Eliezer Adjibi completed the podium in 10.09.

For Walaza, the 9.91 adds another sub-10-second performance to an increasingly impressive season. His personal best remains 9.89 seconds, a mark that underlines just how close he is to another major breakthrough.

Walaza has already established himself as one of South Africa’s most exciting young sprinters. He was a double gold medallist in the 100m and 200m at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima before helping South Africa win Olympic silver in the 4x100m relay at Paris 2024.

Now making his mark against senior competition, Walaza is showing increasing consistency at the highest level.

A 9.91 meeting record in Rovereto is another powerful statement from the young South African — and with his speed continuing to develop, Walaza’s ceiling looks remarkably high.

Dipping under the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters is a major milestone for any sprinter. For 17-year-old Australian sensation Gout Gout, doing it once wasn’t enough.

At the Australian Athletics Championships on Thursday, Gout stunned the crowd by running 9.99 seconds in his 100m heat—powered by a +3.4 m/s tailwind. Less than two hours later, he backed it up with an identical 9.99 in the final, this time with a +2.6 m/s wind. While the wind speeds mean neither time is eligible for record purposes, the message was clear: Gout Gout has arrived.

Including wind-aided marks, his performance ranks as the second-fastest 100m in the world this year, tying South Africa’s Bayanda Walaza, who ran 9.99 in March. More importantly, it obliterates the Australian and Oceanian U20 record of 10.15—but again, due to the excessive wind, the record books won’t recognize it.

Wind readings over +2.0 m/s are deemed illegal in sprinting, as they can artificially enhance performance—typically by about 0.1 seconds in the 100m. For Gout, this wasn’t the first time nature interfered with history. Back in December, as a U18 athlete, he clocked 10.04 with a +3.4 m/s wind. His current official personal best remains 10.17 seconds.

Still, the young sprinter isn’t letting wind readings define him.

“Sub-10 is something every sprinter hopes for,” Gout said. “To gain that sub-10 definitely boosts my confidence, especially for my main event—the 200m.”

And that’s not just talk. Gout broke the Australian 200m record in December at just 16 years old, clocking a blistering 20.04 seconds. With that time, he announced himself as a true global prospect.

The Australian 100m record of 9.93, set by Patrick Johnson in 2003, remains untouched—for now. But if Gout Gout keeps this trajectory, and gets the wind on his side, he may not only rewrite national records—he might just chase global ones.

Is Gout Gout the Next Usain Bolt?

While it’s tempting to draw comparisons between Gout Gout and Usain Bolt, especially given their early successes and similar event specializations, it’s important to recognize that Gout is carving his own path. Notably, he broke Bolt’s under-18 200m record by running 20.04 seconds, surpassing Bolt’s 20.13-second mark at the same age .

Usain Bolt’s world records stand at 9.58 seconds for the 100m and 19.19 seconds for the 200m, both set in 2009. Gout’s current legal personal bests are 10.17 seconds for the 100m and 20.04 seconds for the 200m . While there’s still a gap between their times, Gout’s trajectory suggests he could become a formidable competitor on the world stage

The Grade 11 sprinter’s running style and tall frame have been compared to that of the legendary Usain Bolt.

Australia’s sprint sensation Gout Gout has signed a professional contract with Adidas at just 16.

The high schooler made headlines after he cruised to a 20.77-second win in the qualifying rounds of the 200m at the World U20 Championships this past August. The clip went viral in the athletics world, and track and field fans drew comparisons from his tall stature and running style to those of Jamaican track legend Usain Bolt.

“Usain Bolt is that you?” one comment said.

“Gout Gout reminds me of Usain Bolt. He will definitely level up with him,” said another.

The following day, Gout ran another personal best of 20.60 seconds in the 200m final, setting an Australian U18 record and winning silver. He was outrun by South Africa’s Bayanda Walaza who took home double golds in the World U20 100m and 200m and won silver in the 4x100m relay at the Paris Olympics earlier that month. Walaza is two years older than Gout, who was competing against athletes three to four years older.

The Aussie’s performance surpassed Bolt’s own winning time from the 2002 Junior World Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, where the 16-year-old Jamaican clocked 20.61. “It’s pretty cool because Usain Bolt is arguably the greatest athlete of all time, and just being compared to him is a great feeling,” Gout said.

Like Bolt, the 200m isn’t Gout’s only event. He also holds a personal best of 10.29 in the 100m and has held the Australian U18 200m record since last year, at just 15.

In 2005, Gout’s parents moved from South Sudanese to Brisbane, Australia where Gout was born in 2007. The athlete attends Ipswich Grammar School, an all-boys boarding school, in Queensland, Australia, where he first showed off his athleticism in rugby. He’ll only be 24 when the Olympics come to his hometown of Brisbane in 2032.

Olympic legend Usain Bolt has seen his sprint times beaten by youngsters Gout Gout and Nickecoy Bramwell in recent months, but he remains philosophical on his achievements being topped.

Usain Bolt has already made his feelings clear on young athletes breaking his records by declaring that he is excited by emerging "personalities" in the sport.

Following Nickecoy Bramwell's record-breaking feat earlier in the year, another record held by the Jamaican icon was smashed this week as 16-year-old Gout Gout produced a silver medal-winning time of 20.60 seconds in the 200m at the U20 World Championships in Peru. The young Australian narrowly edged out Bolt's 2002 time in the same race when he was almost 16 years old.

The Olympic legend clocked 20.61 in the final, although he had a quicker time of 20.58 in the first round. More than two decades on from Bolt's heroics, South African Bayanda Walaza clinched gold with a time of 20.54, while Britain's Jake Odey-Jordan secured bronze in 20.81.

Back in May, 16-year-old Jamaican hopeful Bramwell took Bolt’s Under-17 400m world record at the Carifta Games in Grenada with the youngster clocking 47.26 seconds to beat the record by just 0.07 seconds. Bolt's record had previously stood for an incredible 22 years.

Speaking after Bramwell's achievements, Bolt hoped that his legendary times being eclipsed meant that athletics would be getting a much "needed" fresh injection of personality. He also claimed that the sport has not been the same since he departed the track.

“After me, it kind of went down because of who I was as a person, and how big my personality was," Bolt said. “But I think over time it will be better. I think young athletes are coming up and I see a few personalities that are needed in sport, hopefully in the upcoming years it will change.”

Who gets to inherit Bolt's heavy crown is another matter altogether, though. While Bramwell has caught the eye at longer distances, it's Gout who seems to be the major contender for Bolt's age-group records in the 100m and 200m.

The young athlete's performance has drawn strong comparisons to Bolt, with Athletics Australia president Jane Flemming among those claiming the young runner could be the next Olympic conquering superstar. Gout has taken such remarks with a degree of calmness rarely seen at such a young age, declaring that the compliment was "pretty cool".

Meanwhile, Bramwell, who has overcome several injury problems to now be discussed in the same breath as Bolt, has stated he now wants more of the legend's records. He said: "It's a wonderful feeling to break the record. Since last summer, I have been eyeing the record.

"So it's a great feeling I could come out here and get it. I just took my mind off it and focused on the record. I'm looking forward to better things.”

Bolt, 37, who retired in 2017, won eight Olympic gold medals and still holds world records in the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay. He now spends his athletics retirement with his family while also dabbling in celebrity charity events, like playing in Soccer Aid.

On a cool, crisp evening in the Peruvian capital on Tuesday (27), Ethiopia’s Medina Eisa turned up the heat on her rivals to successfully defend her 5000m title, the highlight of the first day of action at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24. 

Eisa’s winning time of 14:39.71 carved more than 28 seconds off the championship record set by Genzebe Dibaba, which had stood since 2010, and brought her home well clear of her compatriot Mekedes Alemeshete. The two broke away from the field from the outset and alternated pace-setting duties, passing 2000m in 5:58.59 with a 40-meter lead. 

By 3000m, reached in 8:57.28, they’d built a 70-meter lead and from there it only extended, with Eisa breaking clear of her compatriot with three and a half laps to run and lapping most of the field to hand women’s 5000m gold to Ethiopia for the eighth time in the last nine editions.

“I'm very happy with this win and to achieve a championship record after the Olympics,” said Eisa, who finished seventh in the 5000m in Paris. “I wanted to be a champion, I have wanted this for months.” 

Alemeshete followed her home in 14:57.44, with Uganda’s Charity Cherop getting bronze in a PB of 15:25.02. 

The men’s 5000m proved a very different race, with some early moves proving inconsequential and the final boiling down to a sprint finish, with seven clustered together at the bell. As the contenders hit full speed on the final turn it was Kenya’s Andrew Kiptoo Alamisi who soon took flight like a bird, soaring to victory in 13:41.14 ahead of Ethiopia’s Abdisa Fayisa (13:41.56) and Uganda’s Keneth Kiprop (13:41.73). 

Australia reigned supreme in the mixed 4x400m final, their quartet of Jordan Gilbert, Bella Pasquali, Jack Deguara and Sophia Gregorevic controlling the race and hitting the line comfortably in front in an Oceanian record of 3:19.27. Poland claimed silver in 3:20.44 with China coming through strongly for bronze in 3:21.27 courtesy of a big final leg from Liu Yinglan. 

In the men’s shot put, it was no surprise to see gold go to the Netherlands for the first time in 24 years, but it wasn’t the thrower many were expecting, with Dutch U20 record-holder Yannick Rolvink – who topped the entry lists by more than a metre – finishing fifth with 19.88m.

It was his teammate, Jarno van Daalen, who shone brightest, the 18-year-old adding 36cm to his lifetime best with his opening round effort of 20.76m. That was a mark no one else could match in the subsequent rounds, though South Africa’s JL van Rensburg came close, launching a PB of 20.74m in the final round for silver. Germany’s Georg Harpf took bronze with 20.28m. 

With four events completed in the heptathlon, Croatia’s Jana Koscak tops the standings with 3536 points, the 2022 European U18 champion adding to her 13.80 hurdles performance and 1.81m high jump earlier in the day with a 12.01m shot put and 25.12 200m in the afternoon session. 

Second overnight is Switzerland’s Lucia Acklin, who rocketed up the standings during the latter part of the day after throwing 13.42m in the shot put and clocking a PB of 24.42 in the 200m. That leaves her on 3472 points. Australia’s Mia Scerri sits third with 3385, closely followed by Czechia’s Adela Tkacova who is fourth with 3351, aided by her season’s best of 24.14 in the 200m.

"It's been a long day, but I'm happy," said Koscak. "I ran a solid 200m, a good high jump, but the hurdles and shot put could have been a little better. It's been a long process because I've been travelling a lot, with climate changes, times zones. This is the World Championships so I'm not going to complain."

In the women’s 100m semifinals, Jamaica’s Alana Reid was highly impressive when winning in 11.44 (-0.3m/s), easing off the gas far from the line to beat Nigeria’s Justina Tiana Eyakpobeyan (11.56) and Aleksandra Stoilova of Australia (11.58), who also advanced. Kishawna Niles of Barbados and Britain’s Nia Wedderburn-Goodison were the quickest qualifiers, both clocking 11.39 in the first semifinal ahead of South Africa’s Viwe Jingqi (11.49). Germany’s Chelsea Kadiri won the third semifinal in 11.52 ahead of Adaejah Hodge of the British Virgin Islands (11.59). 

Thailand’s Puripol Bonsoon, who finished fourth in this event two years ago, was the quickest qualifier for the men’s 100m final, clocking 10.30 (-0.6m/s) in the semifinals to edge South Africa’s Bradley Nkoana by one thousandth of a second. Jamaica’s Gary Card qualified in third with 10.39.

Deandre Daley of Jamaica powered to victory in the first semifinal in 10.34 (-0.9m/s) with Japan’s Naoki Nishioka taking the second automatic spot in 10.43. South Africa’s Bayanda Walaza recovered from an early stumble to win the third semifinal in 10.33 (-0.2m/s) ahead of Britain’s Teddy Wilson (10.35) and China’s He Jinxian (10.36), who also advanced. 

China’s Wang Xiaobo led the way in men’s javelin qualification, launching 73.83m with Slovenia’s Tom Tersek next best with 73.37m ahead of Germany’s Oskar Janicke (73.02m). Ukraine’s Illia Saievskyi was the only other thrower to surpass the 72.50m automatic qualification mark.

In women's pole vault qualification, the automatic qualifying mark of 4.25m wasn't necessary and four athletes cleared 4.10m with faultless performances. One vault was all it took for USA's Molly Haywood to make the final as she entered at 4.10m and cleared that first time. She'll be joined by athletes including Estonia's Miia Tillmann, Australia's Tryphena Hewett and Austria's Magdalena Rauter.

The women’s 3000m steeplechase heats saw a dominant performance from race favourite Sembo Almayew who coasted to victory in 9:30.59 ahead of Kenya’s Diana Chepkemoi and Uganda’s Nancy Chepkwurui (9:49.06). Ethiopia’s Firehiwot Gesese eased to victory in the other heat in 10:00.96 ahead of Uganda’s Loice Chekwemoi (10:01.85) and Kenya’s Sharon Chepkemoi (10:07.59).