Following Gout Gout’s historic performance at the Australian Athletics Championships, the 18-year-old sensation has not only rewritten the record books but also captured the attention of the greatest sprinter of all time; Yankee Scores reports….

Gout made the headlines when he retained the 200m title at the Australian Athletics Championships on 12 April in a time of 19.67 seconds. He beat USA sprinter Erriyon Knighton’s world under-20 record (19.69) and surpassed Bolt’s time of 19.93 from 2004 – the Jamaican’s fastest time as a teenager.

Shattering the Standard

Gout, who also claimed the under-20 100m national title, went under the 20-second mark at last season’s championships with a wind-assisted 19.84 and previously set the quickest time by a 16-year-old over 200m when he ran 20.04 in 2024.

The eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt has urged rising Australian star Gout Gout to be focused on the tracks and eschew distractions and discouragement.

The Legend Speaks

Advising Gout, who shares resemblance with him, the world record holder in the 100m, 200m and 4 by 100m relay, Bolt told CNN:

“At that young age, because I was there, you start getting put left and right and then you forget track and field.

“Hopefully he has the right set of people to guide him and keep him focused on track and field because the rest of the stuff will always be there.

“But if you mess up on track and field, then it all goes away.”

A Strategic Calendar

Gout will make his Diamond League debut in the 200m in Oslo on 10 June but has indicated he will skip the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to focus on the World Under-20 Championships in Oregon in August.