"Something that’s not acceptable" - 16-year-old Gout Gout's father gives honest opinion on comparison to Usain Bolt and name-blunder

Gout Gout's father recently clarified his opinion on the mix-up of his son's name. The sprinter's father voiced his disapproval in the wake of his son's incredible run in the last few days, having been compared with the legendary sprinter Usain Bolt.

The 16-year-old etched his name in the history books on December 7, 2024, becoming the fastest 16-year-old 200m runner in history. He recorded a staggering and notable time of 20.04 seconds in the 200m event at the Australian All Schools Championships held in Brisbane.

This feat made him the fastest Australian 200m runner of all time, outpacing the Olympic silver medalist Peter Norman's national record of 20.06 seconds, set at the 1968 Mexico Games. The historic win also made Gout the fastest sprinter in Oceanian history.

His recent heroic surge drew comparison to Bolt, and his name gained significant recognition. However, a mix-up occurred during translation from Arabic when his family moved from Egypt to Australia resulting in his name being misspelled, now causing discontent to his father Bona, as "Gout," is a type of arthritis.

"It’s supposed to be Guot," the sprinter's father said. "I know that Gout Gout is a disease name. It’s something that’s not acceptable. For me, I don’t mind whatever they want to call him, but for me, I know his name is Guot." (via express.co.uk)

"I do run like him" - Gout Gout weighs in on being compared to Usain Bolt

Gout Gout during the 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian All Schools Athletics Championship in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Getty Images)

Gout Gout recently acknowledged the similarity between his running style and Usain Bolt's, highlighting the long stride, and high knee lift. Further, he emphasized that he is focused on being himself and not just copying Bolt while being committed to carving out a name of his own.

"I do see it, the similarity to Bolt," Gout said. "My stride length is pretty long, my knee height is pretty high and just the amount of tallness I get when I'm running."

"I'm just me trying to be me. Obviously, I do run like him. I do sometimes look like him, but obviously I'm making a name for myself, and I think I've done that pretty well. I just want to continue doing that and continue to be not only Usain Bolt but continue to be Gout Gout."

Gout broke Bolt's 200m record of 20.13 seconds in the U18 category.