Sprint prodigy Gout Gout has shattered another record, sparking fresh talk of him being the next Usain Bolt.
The 16-year-old track star stunned onlookers with his performances at Australia’s All Schools Athletics Championship. The Queensland schoolboy kicked off his jaw-dropping feats by clocking an incredible 10.04 seconds in the 100m, which would have been the fourth fastest time ever by an under-18 athlete and the fifth best overall by an Aussie.
However, that time won’t be recorded officially due to a 3.4 per second tailwind, surpassing the maximum 2m/s for a time to go into the books. Nonetheless, it was an astounding effort, with commentator Mitch Dyer exclaiming: “10.04, how do you do Gout Gout. That is absolutely unbelievable. Ladies and gentlemen, that is history.”
Gout, who went into the meeting with a PB of 10.29, wasn’t finished. He later ran a wind-legal 10.17, the sixth fastest under-18 time globally and a new national record for his age group.
It again led to comparisons with Bolt, the legendary sprinter with eight Olympic golds and 11 World Championship titles to his name. An X user remarked: “Tell me it doesn’t remind you of the way Usain Bolt glided at his peak. Gonna be an absolute superstar, this kid.”
Another stated: “I’ve been a bit sceptical of the comparisons between Gout Gout and Usain Bolt, but the similarity in which they run is undeniable. Overnight, Gout ran 10.17 (0.9) and 10.04 (3.4) in Australia – astonishing.”
Another enthused: “Insane from runner Gout Gout. 10.04 at the age of 16. Could this finally be the heir to Bolt?”
It’s only a matter of time before Gout, who turns 17 later this month, smashes through the 10-second barrier, a feat only achieved by one other Australian, Patrick Johnson, who 9.93 at a meeting in Japan back in 2003.
Gout’s coach, Di Sheppard, spoke to News Corp, saying: “We talk about it because to us it’s a given [that he breaks 10 seconds]. When it happens it happens, and it could happen early because everything’s happening sooner than we expected.”
Gout, from near Brisbane, is also the holder of the Australian under-18 and under-20 200m records following the 20.29 mark he set at the Queensland All Schools Athletics Championships. That is just 0.23 behind the national record, which was set by Peter Norman when winning silver at the 1968 Olympic Games.