Australian sprinting legend Gout Gout in the making is still turning heads after the 18-year-old bettered the legendary Usain Bolt’s 200m time. Gout clocked a sensational 19.67 seconds to win the 200m title at the Australian Athletics Championships earlier this month, setting the second-fastest legal time by an under-20 athlete and faster than Bolt’s best mark of 19.93 seconds 23 years ago.
This prompted the Jamaican great to offer words of advice for the teenager’s future. In an interview with CNN, Bolt said it’s important for a teenager to surround himself with good people who will continue to focus on the sport.
Already tipped as a potential gold medal contender at the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, the teenager followed up that performance by winning the under-20 100m in 10.21 seconds.
With comparisons to Bolt growing louder, the eight-time Olympic gold medalist said the biggest challenge for a young athlete often comes off the track.
“At that young age, because I’ve been there, it starts pulling you left and right and then you forget about the track,” Bolt told CNN.
“Hopefully he has the right group of people to guide him and keep him focused on athletics because the rest will always be there.”
“But if you screw up athletics, then it all goes away.
Bolt, who still holds the world records for both the 100m (9.58 seconds) and 200m (19.19 seconds), said managing distractions would be key if Gout is to fulfill his huge potential.
The Australian teenager, the son of immigrants from South Sudan, has quickly become one of the brightest sprinting prospects in world athletics. His run of 19.67 not only marked his first legitimate sub-20 second performance, but also placed him among the fastest men in the world this season.
Dna had previously dipped under 20 seconds, but that effort came with the help of an illegal tailwind and was not recognized as an official mark. However, his championship win confirmed his rise as one of the sport’s most exciting young names.
The final also saw Aidan Murphy second in 19.88 and Calab Law third in 20.21, but Gout dominated the final stages after coming around the corner.
Next up is his Diamond League debut in Oslo on June 10, where he will compete in the 200m against a strong field led by reigning Olympic champion Letsil Tebog.
For now, however, one of the biggest confirmations has already arrived from Bolt himself.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
21 Apr 2026 18:57 IST
