Despite not yet turning 18, Australian sprinter Gout is already shattering records, and his accomplishments have earned him comparisons to the great sprinter Usain Bolt.
Teen track star Gout Gout, who ignited the athletic world with his record-breaking runs, has responded to comparisons to legendary sprinter Usain Bolt.
The 17-year-old Australian sensation stunned everyone in Brisbane this past weekend with a 200-meter time of 20.05 seconds, which was only a hundredth of a second short of his personal best but the fastest in the world for 2025.
Gout was boosted by a wind of +1.2 behind him and while the mark is 0.01 seconds short of his finest time, it is the quickest time on the planet in 2025.
“I’m trying to be the next Gout Gout,” he said. “Obviously being compared to Usain Bolt, everyone wants to be the next star basically and Usain Bolt was the best sprinter, the best athlete.
“So being competitive, it’s obviously great but then I’m Gout Gout so I want to be able to make my name as big as his name and then people younger can be like ‘you’re going to be the next Gout Gout’ so I want to be like that.”
Gout also showcased his blistering pace over 100 metres this Saturday in Brisbane, seizing the under-20 state crown with a run of 10.39 seconds against the wind, before a slight improvement to 10.38 seconds in the final, reports the Mirror US.
The sprinter clocked a wind-assisted personal best of 10.04 seconds at the Australian All Schools Championships last year, but his top legal time is 10.17, putting him in contention for the world championships in Japan this September.
Fresh from training with Lyles in Florida, Gout has already achieved something that has eluded the US track star. At the Joanna Stone Shield meet in Brisbane in February, he ran the 400m in 46.20s, almost a second faster than Lyles’ personal best and the quickest under-18 time by an Australian in 35 years.
With all signs pointing to Gout being the next big thing in athletics, he told Lyles and Holloway that he’s setting his sights on the Olympics, particularly the 2032 Games in Brisbane.
However, his manager has urged caution about comparing him to Bolt. Speaking to ABC Sport, James Templeton said: “I’ve avoided using the ‘UB’ [Bolt] comparison. I think that’s unfair to a young athlete.
“For 18 months I’ve basically said a blanket ‘no’ to every media outlet in Australia that has asked. We just want to allow him to be a normal kid at school.
“Having seen a lot of great young athletes and sprinters over the years, I’m firmly convinced he has that something a little bit special to kick through to the very highest levels.”
