Usain Bolt’s advice to fast-rising sprinter Gout Gout
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 23.04.26. | 16:25
At just 18, Gout has taken the athletics world by storm, delivering a historic performance at the Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney
Sprint legend Usain Bolt has offered timely advice to Australia’s newest track sensation, Gout Gout, urging the teenage star to remain focused as his career rapidly accelerates into global prominence.
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At just 18, Gout has taken the athletics world by storm, delivering a historic performance at the Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney.
The teenager clocked a stunning 19.67 seconds in the 200 metres, smashing his previous national record of 20.02 and becoming the first Australian to legally dip below the coveted 20-second barrier.
His performance has since drawn inevitable comparisons with Bolt, who is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time.
Notably, Gout’s time eclipsed Bolt’s fastest run as a teenager, 19.93 seconds set in 2004. Bolt, however, still holds the world records in both the 200m (19.19) and 100m (9.58).
Gout’s run was not just significant in an Australian context. With a legal +1.7 tailwind, his 19.67 would have secured a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics and a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games, an extraordinary achievement for an athlete still in his teens.
Only Erriyon Knighton has recorded a faster 200m time as a teenager, though his 2022 mark remains unratified.
Despite the hype surrounding the young sprinter, Bolt has cautioned against distractions that often accompany early success. Reflecting on his own journey, the Jamaican icon emphasised the importance of staying grounded.
“At that young age, because I was there, you start getting pulled left and right and then you forget track and field,” Bolt told CNN.
“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,” he added.