Recently, track and field has been overrun by an Australian speedster. At just 16 years of age, this Australian sensation has been breaking track records like child’s play. In fact, he broke Usain Bolt’s U20 record at just 14. Clocking a time of 20.60s in the 200m, the Aussie made the world sit up and take notice. And if that was not enough, late 2024 saw the sprinter further chip off some more seconds from his 200-meter time.
Competing at the All Schools Queensland Competition in early November 2024, Gout Gout ran 200 m in just 20.29s. And this was also the fastest time for Australia in the last 31 years! Quite expected, all these records have garnered significant attention from all across the globe. As a result, Gout Gout has now secured a sponsorship from the sports apparel giant Adidas at such a tender age.
Now, apart from all his shining accolades, one of the biggest achievements for the 16-year-old is the fact that he is being touted as the ‘next Usain Bolt.’ But is the young sensation comfortable with the comparison? Gout Gout was recently featured in an episode of Beyond The Records podcast with Noah Lyles and Grant Holloway.
Discussing a host of topics, Lyles and Holloway stumbled upon the topic of Usain Bolt and Gout Gout. Holloway broke the ice narrating how he was constantly being compared to former legendary hurdlers. Holloway stated that the comparisons with the likes of Allen Johnson, David Oliver, and Dayron Robles felt nice. But he wanted to create his own unique identity.
Taking a cue from Holloway’s statement, Gout Gout too echoed a similar sentiment. The young Australian mentioned that he wants to keep working hard in the future. “I mean, exactly what you said—I’m trying to be the next Gout Gout,” said Gout Gout. He further added, “But then, I’m Gout Gout. So I want to be able to make my name as big as his name. And obviously, people younger would be like, “You’re going to be the next Gout Gout.”
Surely, such confidence oozing from the 16-year-old is indicative enough that Gout Gout is truly headed for excellence. However, the Aussie also chimed in with his take on how he felt about being compared to Usain Bolt. Hailing the Jamaican as ‘the best sprinter’, Gout Gout stated that being compared to Bolt certainly felt great. Meanwhile, with comparisons with Usain Bolt gaining significant pace, Gout Gout’s manager too had some interesting bits to share.
Gout Gout’s manager wants to shield him from the Usain Bolt comparison
Much like Gout Gout, his manager James Templeton too wants the young man to go at his own pace. Instead of rushing in to break Usain Bolt’s records, Templeton wants Gout Gout to take his time to shine in the realm of track and field. Speaking with ABC News back in November 2024, Templeton pointed out how he wanted to shield him from the ongoing gushes of Usain Bolt comparisons.
Deeming the comparison as an added pressure, Templeton said, “I’ve avoided using the ‘UB’ (Usain Bolt) comparison. I think that’s unfair to a young athlete.” Gout Gout’s manager also doubled down on how he has said ‘no’ to most of the requests for an interview with the young phenom. After all, the goal is to let the talent blossom on its own.
“For 18 months, I’ve basically said a blanket ‘no’ to every media outlet in Australia that has asked. We just want to allow him (Gout Gout) to be a normal kid at school. We don’t want him to have any distraction,” added Templeton. Thus, it is evident that things will be more hyped up for Gout Gout as he advances further in his career. It will be interesting to see how he will tackle all the noise going forward.
The post Having Broken Usain Bolt’s Record, Track and Field Prodigy Shares Final Thoughts on Comparisons to World’s Fastest Man Alive appeared first on EssentiallySports.
