The 16-year-old schoolboy who could be the next Usain Bolt
Summary
Australian sprinter Gout Gout—it rhymes with “Bout Bout”—is breaking records and drawing comparisons to the eight-time Olympic champion.
The 16-year-old in the black-and-crimson kit blasts out of the starting blocks and proceeds to unfold his giant frame. At 30 meters, he takes over the lead. And by 40 meters, he’s gone. His long legs are devouring the blue track beneath him. By the time he crosses the finish line of this 100-meter race, he’s so far ahead that his competitors are nearly out of frame.
The time on the clock: 10.04 seconds, faster than any other 16-year-old in history. No wonder the video of this track meet for Australian teenagers went instantly viral.
It was impossible to watch him and not be reminded of Usain Bolt—even according to Usain Bolt.
“He looks like young me," the eight-time Olympic champion wrote on Instagram.
The kid’s name is Gout Gout, which rhymes with “bout bout." The Brisbane-born son of South Sudanese immigrants, he is already considered something of a sprinting prodigy. It hardly mattered that a strong tailwind made his blistering 10.04-second time ineligible for a record. The next day, Gout ran 200 meters in 20.04 seconds, surpassing Bolt’s best time at that age
“These are adult times, and me—just a kid—I’m running them," Gout said.
His 200-meter time was a revelation in Australia, breaking a legendary national record held by 1968 Olympic silver medalist Peter Norman. And it took no time at all for footage of Gout’s achievement to take the internet by storm. Barely a day after Gout’s 200 race, the sprinter was flying from Sydney to Melbourne when someone recognized him.
“As we arrived, the steward announced, ‘We have a special guest on our plane,’" said Gout’s agent, James Templeton. “And the whole plane started applauding and whistling."
Of course, being a great young sprinter is no guarantee of future results. American Erriyon Knighton surpassed Bolt’s age-18 record by running the 200 in 19.49 seconds in 2022. Although Knighton reached his second Olympics earlier this year, he hasn’t run that fast in the 200 since.
But the former sprinter and TV analyst Ato Boldon sees some clear similarities between Gout and Bolt.
“I’m impressed by the times, but I’m way more impressed by the joy," Boldon said. “Sixteen years old and sort of commanding the crowd like that. The kid’s a superstar."
Gout isn’t shying away from the comparisons. He told reporters that he’s already aiming for double gold at the 2032 Olympics, to be held in his hometown of Brisbane.
But first things first. Next month, Gout will fly to Florida to spend a few weeks training with reigning Olympic 100-meter champion Noah Lyles. Both are Adidas athletes after Gout signed with the brand several weeks ago, effectively turning professional with a full year left of school. He doesn’t even turn 17 until later this month.
That’s why Gout’s coach, Di Sheppard, is taking a cautious approach to his development. Gout will probably enter senior races in the 200 and junior races in the 100, “just allowing him to develop in that event," Templeton said.
His technique is still a work in progress. Like Bolt, Gout is a slow starter who tends to rocket past opponents in the second half of races, although at 5-foot-11, Gout is closer to Lyles’s height than to Bolt’s 6-foot-5.
Early on, “he looked like one of those things that blow around in car yards," Sheppard said in 2022. “His arms were out of control."
But Gout quickly improved. In August, he finished second in the 200 at the U20 world championships.
Now, Gout’s 200-meter time has already qualified him for next September’s senior World Athletics championships in Tokyo.
“This is the biggest story, I think, in the sport right now," Boldon said. “And justifiably so."
Write to Rachel Bachman at Rachel.Bachman@wsj.com
