BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Gout Gout says he’ll have to withdraw from the world junior championships after straining his hamstring in training, a decision that takes one of the rising stars of track and field out of next month’s meet.

“Unfortunately I suffered an injury to my left hamstring last night at training in Brisbane,” the 18-year-old Australian sprinter posted on Instagram on Thursday. “I received this morning the MRI report, unfortunately the news is not good and I will not be able to compete in Eugene.”

Gout said his focus now was on rehabilitation for the hamstring tear and he planned to “come back in 2027 better and stronger and faster.”

“I have no other possibility but to accept this situation. I understand this is part of athletics.”

Gout has already spent time training with Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles and has set an international record faster than Usain Bolt could produce at the Under-20 level. He was a strong favorite for gold at the Aug. 5-9 world juniors in Eugene, Oregon.

He was due to compete in the 200 meters — he already holds the under-20 world record in that event — and was part of Australia’s 4×400 relay team.

Gout launched onto the international athletics scene while still a student at high school.

He set the quickest 200 time ever by a 16-year-old when he broke Australia’s long-standing open record with a time of 20.06 in 2024.

In April, Gout won the Australian title in 19.67 seconds, taking 0.02 off Erriyon Knighton’s world under-20 mark of 19.69 set at Eugene in 2022. It was the first time that Gout had gone under the 20-second mark officially, after a wind-assisted 19.84 last season.

That time in Sydney was better than eight-time Olympic champion Bolt’s time of 19.93 in 2004. Bolt was 17 when setting what was then a world junior record and never bettered that time as a teenager.

Athletics Australia said it was important for Gout to take the time to “rehabilitate, recover and return.”

“Gout has had a phenomenal couple of years, and has a long and exciting athletics career ahead of him,” it added.

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