‘Better than a diamond’ – Gout Gout outdoes Usain Bolt as wonderkid smashes another huge record
Sprinting superstar-in-the-making Gout Gout has continued to stun on the track by achieving something Usain Bolt never did in his career. The 16-year-old Australian track and field prodigy has made headlines for his record-breaking performances over the last six months – but has just managed the best-ever feat of his young career so far. Gout Gout is becoming one of the most exciting names in track and field – and he’s only 16Getty The Brisbane-born whizzkid broke Australia’s national 200m record on Saturday, beating Peter Norman’s time of 20.06 seconds that won him a silver medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. In doing so, Gout also clocked the fastest time ever recorded by a 16-year-old over 200m, at 20.04 seconds, according to World Athletics. That’s something former fastest man in the world Bolt never managed to do during his early days, before he became a track and field icon with eight Olympic and 11 world championship gold medals. Gout ran the best-ever time at his home track in Brisbane, where he was born and raised by parents who fled to Australia from war-torn South Sudan. The speedster teen has drawn obvious comparisons with Bolt, and has now overtaken the legendary Jamaica’s time of 20.13 to become the second-fastest under-18 athlete in the record books. “These are adult times and me, just a kid, I’m running them. It’s going to be a great future for sure,” said Gout, who will be 20 by the time the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles come around. “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.” Gout’s national record time came just a day after he ran one of the fastest 100m times by a 16-year-old, with a wind-assisted time of 10.04 seconds. “You know what they say, pressure makes diamonds, and I guess I’m better than a diamond right now,” he said on Saturday. Gout is sending record tumbling at the Australian All-Schools Championship in QueenslandGetty He broke Australia’s national 200m record, and in doing so became the fastest 16-year-old over the distance in historyGetty Gout is currently competing in the Australian All-Schools Championship in Queensland, which began on Friday. Sadly for the teen, that 10.04 time in the 100m heats was not counted as legitimate due to the sheer amount of wind helping to propel him forward. Gout had a tailwind of +3.4, which is over the legal +2.5 metres-per-second legal wind reading permitted. However, he then ran a time of 10.17s with a legal +0.9 wind to win the 100m, and also set a new national under-18 record and personal best. It was a breathtaking performance, which saw him burst free after a slow start and finish way ahead of his competitors – in scenes reminiscent of Bolt at his Olympic gold-winning best. “He can’t be stopped,” said Mitch Dyer, commentating on the event. “He is incredible. The future is here, you just watched it.” Gout will hope to emulate Bolt and become the fastest man on the planet and win gold on the Olympic stageGetty The teen is also set to train with Noah Lyles, who sprinted to 100m gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the summerAFP It’s just the latest stunning feat from the 16-year-old, who ran a blistering 200m time of 20.60 at the Under-20 World Championships in August. That beat a record of Bolt’s that had stood for 22 years. Gout has already signed a sponsorship deal with sportswear giants Adidas, and is set to train with reigning Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles. The young Aussie’s manager James Templeton told ABC Sport: “We have the opportunity to go to Florida and join the training group of Noah Lyles and [coach] Lance Brauman. “There’s about 16 or 18 top sprinters there. We’ll be heading over for two or three weeks. That’ll be a great opportunity, a wonderful educational experience. “I haven’t heard from Noah, but he’s a great guy and I’m sure he’ll be happy to take the younger guy under his wing a little bit.”
Sprinting superstar-in-the-making Gout Gout has continued to stun on the track by achieving something Usain Bolt never did in his career.
The 16-year-old Australian track and field prodigy has made headlines for his record-breaking performances over the last six months – but has just managed the best-ever feat of his young career so far.
The Brisbane-born whizzkid broke Australia’s national 200m record on Saturday, beating Peter Norman’s time of 20.06 seconds that won him a silver medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
In doing so, Gout also clocked the fastest time ever recorded by a 16-year-old over 200m, at 20.04 seconds, according to World Athletics.
That’s something former fastest man in the world Bolt never managed to do during his early days, before he became a track and field icon with eight Olympic and 11 world championship gold medals.
Gout ran the best-ever time at his home track in Brisbane, where he was born and raised by parents who fled to Australia from war-torn South Sudan.
The speedster teen has drawn obvious comparisons with Bolt, and has now overtaken the legendary Jamaica’s time of 20.13 to become the second-fastest under-18 athlete in the record books.
“These are adult times and me, just a kid, I’m running them. It’s going to be a great future for sure,” said Gout, who will be 20 by the time the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles come around.
“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.”
Gout’s national record time came just a day after he ran one of the fastest 100m times by a 16-year-old, with a wind-assisted time of 10.04 seconds.
“You know what they say, pressure makes diamonds, and I guess I’m better than a diamond right now,” he said on Saturday.
Gout is currently competing in the Australian All-Schools Championship in Queensland, which began on Friday.
Sadly for the teen, that 10.04 time in the 100m heats was not counted as legitimate due to the sheer amount of wind helping to propel him forward.
Gout had a tailwind of +3.4, which is over the legal +2.5 metres-per-second legal wind reading permitted.
However, he then ran a time of 10.17s with a legal +0.9 wind to win the 100m, and also set a new national under-18 record and personal best.
It was a breathtaking performance, which saw him burst free after a slow start and finish way ahead of his competitors – in scenes reminiscent of Bolt at his Olympic gold-winning best.
“He can’t be stopped,” said Mitch Dyer, commentating on the event. “He is incredible. The future is here, you just watched it.”
It’s just the latest stunning feat from the 16-year-old, who ran a blistering 200m time of 20.60 at the Under-20 World Championships in August.
That beat a record of Bolt’s that had stood for 22 years.
Gout has already signed a sponsorship deal with sportswear giants Adidas, and is set to train with reigning Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles.
The young Aussie’s manager James Templeton told ABC Sport: “We have the opportunity to go to Florida and join the training group of Noah Lyles and [coach] Lance Brauman.
“There’s about 16 or 18 top sprinters there. We’ll be heading over for two or three weeks. That’ll be a great opportunity, a wonderful educational experience.
“I haven’t heard from Noah, but he’s a great guy and I’m sure he’ll be happy to take the younger guy under his wing a little bit.”
