Who is Gout Gout? Aussie sprinter almost beats Usain Bolt's record 

We have seen several legendary athletes such as Usain Bolt, Mo Farah, and Allyson Felix grab the spotlight on the international stage. They have created a legacy that will be spoken about for a very, very long time. But many of them rose to the occasion at a particular competition at a young age.

And one such youngster has grabbed the limelight most recently. It's none other than a 15-year-old sprinter named Gout Gout. The young sprinter has entered the record books with his run during the men's under-18 200-meter event at the 2023 Junior Athletics Championships in Brisbane.

He ran a fantastic 20.87 into the wind and also the record books. Gout Gout set a new Australian under-18s record. He broke the joint mark of 20.90 held by Darren Clark in 1982, Paul Greene in 1989, and Zane Branco in 2017 according to news.com.au.

Gout Gout came close to breaking Usain Bolt's record, which he set when Bolt was 15 years old. At age 15, legendary Olympian Usain Bolt’s quickest recorded time over 200 meters was 20.58, and that was with a +1.4 tailwind as per the aforementioned source.

But who is Gout Gout?

Gout Gout was born on December 29, 2007 in Brisbane after his parents migrated to Australia from South Sudan in 2005 according to Athletics Australia. He is one of the seven children born to his parents Monica and Bona. In his seventh year, he joined Ipswich Grammar School.

The youngster impressed at the interhouse carnival, which led to Gout receiving his first pair of spikes, according to the aforementioned source. Gout likes American sprinters Erriyon Knighton and Noah Lyles.

He is also the fastest Australian under 16 boy in history as he clocked a time of 10.57 seconds last year. But his personal best time in the 100 meters is 10.43 seconds, which he clocked last month.

When the record Gout set at the 2023 Junior Athletics Championships in Brisbane was taken into account, the previous record holders Darren Clark, Paul Greene, and Zane Branco were all at least a year older than the youngster when they ran the time.

---

Gout Gout opens up after coming close to beating Usain Bolt's record

Gout Gout, who has become the talk of the town among the athletics community after setting a national record and coming so close to surpassing legendary sprinter Usain Bolt's record, has spoken a few words following his emphatic victory.

According to news.com.au, Gout gave the following statements post the race:

"It means a lot because I've been training so much for this. I was really nervous. The gun went, and I was good and I kept pushing. It's like you can't feel any ground contact, it feels like you are floating."

The youngster further continued,

"This season has been mind-blowing for me. Last year I came fourth and sixth at nationals, and then I came out at All Schools and won. I was really motivated because I took last year personally, it always feels better when you are winning."

Last year was great for the young sprinter and this year seems to have become even greater for Gout Gout. He has a huge career ahead of him and from here on, the Australian sprinter will be looking to keep on improving his performances and winning more medals. A decade later, Gout might have become one of the best sprinters to have competed in the sport.