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Sebastian Coe admits Gout Gout is a huge talent but warned against predicting the Australian teen sensation to break Usain Bolt's records since he's only getting started in his career.
Teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout is a huge attraction for potential new fans of athletics, according to World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.
The Australian turned heads earlier this month when he surpassed Usain Bolt as the fastest 16-year-old in history in the 200m, clocking 20.04sec at the Australian All Schools Championships. That time was also the second-quickest ever by an Under-18, after Erriyon Knighton’s 19.84sec in 2021, and broke Peter Norman’s 56-year-old Australian senior record.
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19:20 - 15.12.2024
‘The world is his oyster’- What’s next for 'Usain Bolt'-likened Gout Gout after setting athletics world alight?
Australian teen sensation Gout Gout is tipped for greatness in sprints and measures are already in place to see the 16-year-old follow in the footsteps of Usain Bolt.
Bolt recently admitted that Gout ‘looks like a young me’, with the Brisbane-based starlet also proving his potential in the 100m with a wind-assisted 10.04sec. Next up for Gout is a training camp with Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles in Florida in January as he looks to qualify for the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
Coe admits he is excited about the arrival of the Aussie, who he hopes can bring a new audience into the sport, much like Jamaican legend Bolt once did. "He is a huge attraction. You’ve only got to see what response he gets every time he competes. He is clearly an outstanding talent," Coe told the Daily Mail.
However, Coe did sound a note of caution to those already predicting Gout will go on to break Bolt’s world records in the 100m and 200m. "The toughest transition any athlete is going to make is from the upper echelons of juniors into the senior ranks. Any coach will tell you that probably is the toughest element in coaching," he Observed.
He added: "Identifying talent and nurturing it is a huge part of it. But taking an athlete safely, securely, mentally and physically from 18 and 19 into the early 20s is tough. A lot of athletes that even win World Junior Championships don't actually make it into their senior national team."
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