Australian wonderkid Gout Gout has earned comparisons with Usain Bolt and he must have left the Jamaican legend delighted after he smashed another record in Queensland on Saturday.
Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout’s record-breaking traits continued on Saturday when he smashed yet another record, running the fastest 200m for an Australian since 1993.
The 16-year-old ran 20.29 in the heats to obliterate the field at the Queensland All Schools Track and Field Championships on Saturday to become the fourth-fastest Australian of all-time over the distance.
Gout, who turns 17 in December, also became the fourth fastest athlete in the world aged under 18 in the 200m with Peter Norman, who ran 20.06 at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, the fastest Australian in 200m.
The young sprinter has been christened the next Usain Bolt and continues to put in performances that the Jamaican legend would be proud of. Bolt ran 20.13 when he was the same age before he went on to smash world records in both 100m (9.58 seconds) and 200m (19.19 seconds), which still stand, since being broken in 2009.
The impressive performance comes days after Gout signed a professional contract with Adidas and his new sponsors must have been happy with what they witnessed at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre.
Gout has earned comparisons with Bolt not just for his height but also for breaking the legendary Jamaican sprinter’s 200m record for 16-year-olds at the World U20 Championships in Lima, Peru this year.
06:30 - 01.11.2024
'It took me a while to understand'- Usain Bolt shares words of wisdom for record-breaking teen sprinter Gout Gout
Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt has shared inspiring words with teen sensation Gout Gout, who recently broke Bolt's record,
The high school student in Ipswich, Queensland took home a silver medal in a stacked field, flying home in 20.26 seconds, to beat Bolt’s time of 20.61 that the Jamaican recorded at the 2002 World Junior Championships.
He has also run the 100m in 10.29 seconds and helped Australia to fifth place in the 4x400m relay at the U20 Championships.