Gout Gout and Izobelle Louison-Roe both left Lima two years ago with silver medals and the same quiet hunger. This August, they return to the World Athletics U20 Championships at Eugene’s famed Hayward Field with a simple upgrade in mind.
Gout, who owns the world U20 record in the 200m after running 19.67 seconds to win the Australian Open Championships, deliberately sits out the Commonwealth Games to focus entirely on Oregon. It is a statement of intent from the Queensland sprinter, who at the last World U20 Championships finished second over the same distance. Few would bet against him going one better on a track that has hosted some of the fastest times in history. “I know it’s a great stadium and place to run fast, and I feel confident I’ll be ready to step up and make Australia proud.”Gout Gout
Gout will also line up in the men’s 4x400m relay: a step up in distance that adds intrigue to his program and future career, with his 46.14 second PB run during his base training period ahead of the past Australian summer. The relay squad of Gout; Chase Grant and Seth Kennedy, who will both contest the individual 400m; Australian U18 record holder Terrell Thorne, who has the quickest PB at 45.64; Fred Hamblin; and Dashiell Muir; has genuine medal ambitions. The team’s combined four fastest flat-times come in at 3:04.51, indicating that the Australian junior 4x400m record of 3:04.72, set at by the 1998 World Junior winning team of Daniel McFarlane, Daniel Batman, Scott Thom, Casey Vincent, is on borrowed time.
Louison-Roe, meanwhile, arrives having cleared 1.95m for a personal best to set a qualifier for the Commonwealth Games, a mark that places her as the world’s top U20 performers for the past 17 months. The New South Wales jumper is selected to contest both the high jump and triple jump in Eugene, with a final decision on her program to be made closer to competition, likely once Commonwealth Games selections are finalised next month. Like Gout, she knows exactly what it feels like to stand one step below the top.
“It’s so exciting, because the track we are competing in is so amazing, the facilities are incredible,” Louison-Roe said.
“I think there are going to be huge crowds and enthusiasm from the fans, especially as I think athletics has been on the rise all around the world.”
Article continues below…
Beacroft backs himself for the double
Isaac Beacroft may be the most logistically ambitious athlete on the entire team, at least at the moment. The World U20 record holder in the 10000m will travel to Glasgow to make his Commonwealth Games debut on 31 July before heading directly to Eugene to a week later contest the 5000m track walk on 8 August. The 5000m distance is a sprint relative to his long-term trajectory toward the open 20km.
He is the only Australian athlete currently named to compete at both major championships this northern summer, and he has little interest in using the schedule as an excuse.
“I think I’ve got pretty high expectations of myself in both races, and I don’t want to leave that short amount of time in between each event as an excuse for my performances,” Beacroft said.
He will be joined in the 5000m walk by ACT’s Owen Toyne, while Sophie Polkinghorne and Zoe Woods represent Australia in the women’s event.
“I want to focus and do my best in the Commonwealth Games, and as soon as I do that I’ll turn my focus to the World U20 Juniors and really work hard to do well there, where I think I have unfinished business.”
Article continues below…
Harding in a rare combo
Victoria’s Jamison Harding will attempt something rarely seen at international levels of the sport, contesting both the 100m hurdles and the pole vault in Eugene. The combination of sprint hurdles and a technical field event demands an unusually broad athletic profile, and Harding’s presence in both is a notable quirk of an already deep women’s program.
Women’s relay squad bristles with pace
Australia’s women’s 4x100m relay squad may be one of the most potent in the team’s history. Eight athletes have been named and in most other iterations of the World Juniors all athletes would be good enough to get a run rather than be reserves. The team’s individual 100m bests pain a striking picture of collective speed: Zara Hagan leads the group at 11.16 seconds, followed by Maya Taber (11.36), Emilia Reed (11.46), Thewbelle Philp (11.54), Amaya Mearns (11.57), Mackenzie Estlick (11.59) and Grace Crowe (11.60) — placing them first, fourth, sixth, 12th, 17th, 19th and 20th respectively among Australia’s open sprinting stocks so far this calendar year.
Also in the squad is Australian U18 record holder Leah O’Brien (11.14 PB), who has race only twice in August 2025 since last year’s open championships where she was separated by Torrie Lewis in a photo finish for the national title. The Western Australian’s possible return in Eugene is one of the more anticipated storylines of the championships.
A record team, a landmark moment
At 75 athletes — 38 young women and 27 young men — this is the largest Australian team ever assembled for the World Athletics U20 Championships. The depth across events is impressive, with the maximum two-athletes-per-event selected in every event except for single entrants in the men’s 3000m steeplechase and discus, and women’s high jump, triple jump, and long jump. Only the men’s pole vault, shot put, javelin and hammer; and women’s javelin and hammer see no Australian representation.
The benchmark from Lima is steep: 15 medals, including gold in the long jump through Delta Amidzovski and a Mixed 4x400m Relay title.
“With 75 athletes selected around the country, this is our biggest team in history of the World Athletics U20 World Championships,” said Australian Athletics General Manager – High Performance, Andrew Faichney.
“These Championships will be an incredible experience for our best young athletes to learn what it takes to compete on the world stage as they begin their international careers.”Andrew Faichney,
Australian Athletics General Manager – High Performance
The World Athletics U20 Championships run from 5–9 August at Hayward Field, University of Oregon, Eugene.
Australian team
MEN
100m: Uwezo Lubenda (QLD), Zavier Peacock (NSW)
200m: Gout Gout (QLD) Zavier Peacock (NSW)
400m: Chase Grant (NSW), Seth Kennedy (QLD)
800m: Harry Halleen (NSW), Daniel Williams (NSW),
1500m: Alexander Cameron-Smith (VIC), Kieran Shepherd (ACT)
3000m: Charles Barrett (VIC), Matthew McLachlan (NSW)
5000m: Charles Barrett (VIC), Lucas Chis (VIC)
3000m Steeplechase: Jonathan Neethling (VIC)
110m Hurdles: Oliver Facer (NSW), Harrison Purcell (QLD)
400m Hurdles: Will Tait (NSW), Ethan Williams (QLD)
5000m Racewalk: Isaac Beacroft (NSW), Owen Toyne (ACT)
Long Jump: Mason McGroder (NSW), Luke Vrataric (NSW)
Triple Jump: Lian Anagnostopoulos (NSW) Daniel Okerenyang (NSW)
Discus Throw: Elijah Wilson (ACT)
Decathlon: Xavier Davie (TAS), Wyatt Hill (WA)
Hammer Throw: Connor Hopgood (QLD), Xavier Leauma (TAS)
4x400m Relay: Gout Gout (QLD), Chase Grant (NSW), Fred Hamblin (NSW), Seth Kennedy (QLD), Dashiell Muir (VIC) Terrell Thorne (QLD)
4x100m Relay: Paul Ehioghae (WA),Kelechi Ekwomadu (SA), Dylan Hall (NSW), Josiah John (WA), Hugh Kabengele (VIC), Uwezo Lubenda (Gary Cairns), Zavier Peacock (NSW)
WOMEN
100m: Zara Hagan (QLD), Maya Taber (NSW),
200m: Zara Hagan (QLD) Amaya Mearns (QLD)
400m: Alice Hill (NSW), Shari Hurdman (NSW)
800m: Ivy Boothroyd (NSW), Emma Fryga (QLD)
1500m: Mia Gray (VIC), Milla Roberts (QLD)
3000m: Imogen Baker (VIC), Eliza Lawton (NSW)
5000m: Imogen Baker (VIC), Libby Mantay (QLD)
3000m Steeplechase: Helena Butler (QLD)Tessa Ebert (SA)
100m Hurdles: Jamison Harding (VIC), Tammin Lampret (NSW)
400m Hurdles: Shakira Harding (VIC) Maiya Hewitt (NSW)
5000m Racewalk: Sophie Polkinghorne (NSW, Zoe Woods (NSW)
Pole Vault: Jamison Harding (VIC), Rangi Khushnoor (VIC)
High Jump: Izobelle Louison-Roe (NSW)
Triple Jump: Izobelle Louison-Roe (NSW)
Long Jump: Geena Davy (VIC)
Shot put: Manaia Coulter (NSW) Lauren Kelly (WA)
Discus Throw: Riley-Jay Henry-Purcell (QLD,), Chelsy Wayne (NSW)
Heptathlon: Bailey Van Den Broek (TAS) Isabella Wing (TAS)
4x400m Relay: Samara Bond (NSW), Alice Hill (NSW,), Shari Hurdman (NSW), Naomi Krajancic (NSW) Xanthee Watts (QLD), Charlotte McAuliffe (SA)
4x100m Relay: Grace Crowe (VIC), Mackenzie Estlick (VIC), Zara Hagan (QLD), Amaya Mearns (QLD), Leah O’Brien (WA), Thewbelle Philp (QLD), Emilia Reed (WA), Maya Taber (NSW)
