Gout Gout is quickly becoming a global star as the teenage sprinting sensation breaks records in Australia and comparisons to Usain Bolt grow.
The 16-year-old Australian has broken a long-standing national record at the All-Schools Championships in Brisbane, running the 200m in 20.04s on Saturday.
That is the quickest time an Australian of any age has run 200m, with the record standing for 56 years after Peter Norman ran 20.06s at the Mexico Olympics in 1968.
Clearly the teenager is going to be a star of Australian sport but looks increasingly likely to challenge records globally.
He is now the second fastest under-18 runner over 200m, with Erriyon Knighton’s world record of 19.84s set as a 17-year-old in 2021 still ahead of him.
However, he has topped Usain Bolt’s effort of 20.13s as a 16-year-old in 2003. The Jamaican legend holds the adult world record of 19.19s set in 2009.
‘These are adult times and me, just a kid, I’m running them,’ said Gout. ‘It’s going to be a great future for sure.
‘I didn’t expect it to be that fast but I guess I ran Australia’s fastest ever time in the 200. I have been chasing that record but I didn’t think it would come this year. I thought maybe next year or the year after that.’
A day earlier, Gout ran a wind assisted time of 10.04s in the 100m, , which was the fourth-fastest under-18 time over the distance in history.
The teenager, born in Queensland to parents from South Sudan, has spoken of the Bolt comparisons before.
‘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,’ he said.
‘Obviously, I’m Gout Gout, so I’m trying to make a name for myself. If I can get to the level he was that would be a great achievement.’
His manager, James Templeton, said last month he has done his best to keep Gout out of the limelight but it is becoming increasingly difficult.
‘I’ve avoided using the “UB” comparison. I think that’s unfair to a young athlete,’ Templeton said on the ABC Sport Daily podcast.
‘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. We don’t want him to have any distraction.
‘It’s all going to be ahead of him. We want his life to be as normal as possible for as long as possible.
‘But the modern world with viral videos, despite saying no to media he has gone viral and everybody is starting to get to know him.’
