Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout has been forced to withdraw from the upcoming world U20 championships after suffering a serious hamstring injury.
Gout revealed he suffered a partial tear of the tendon, which will keep him sidelined for the major event, which gets underway in less than a month.
Despite the shattering news, the upbeat 18-year-old has quickly turned his focus to next year.
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“Unfortunately I suffered an injury to my left hamstring last night at training in Brisbane,” he posted on Instagram.
“I’m very disappointed but I have no other possibility but to accept the situation. 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 detailed the full extent of his injury as he prepares for a long rehabilitation process.
“There is a partial thickness tear of the proximal intramuscular tendon of the long head biceps femoris (hamstring),” Gout said.
“There is partial disruption of the tendon which involves less than 10 per cent of the cross-sectional area of the tendon but extends over an 8cm length.
“This represents a grade 3C injury according to the BAMIC.”
The injury setback comes two weeks after Gout pulled out of the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon.
Gout was set to run in the famous track and field meet on July 4, but withdrew with back stiffness after a gruelling overseas schedule.
Gout has delivered a mixed bag while competing overseas against famous senior runners.
Just last month he put in a strong performance behind Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles in a rare 150m race at the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava.
The friendly rivals took on the unusual distance, with Lyles clocking a world-best 14.67 seconds to win from South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile (14.78).
Gout trailed behind to finish a comfortable third in 14.96 — setting another world under-20 mark in the process.
However, in his Diamond League debut in Oslo before that race, Gout finished in sixth place in the 200m, prompting Olympic 200m gold medallist Letsile Tebogo to suggest the Aussie should go back to juniors.