 "Young Australian sprinter Gout Gout has signed a multi-year deal with Adidas. Gout Gout is considered as the next Usain Bolt. Reuters")
Gout Gout, a 16-year-old Australian sprinter, is set to receive $6 million after having signed a multi-year deal with Adidas. Gout Gout had signed the deal during the Junior World Championships that took place in Peru in August this year. Adidas bettered rivals Puma and Nike to seal the deal with Gout Gout, who is seen as the “next Usain Bolt.” Notably, Puma had signed Usain Bolt when he was of the same age as Gout Gout in 2002.
How did Adidas complete signing of Gout Gout?
Simply put, there were two criterias that Adidas met while signing Gout Gout. The first one was that Gout Gout, who is one of seven children, would not have to leave Australia. Another one was the opportunity to train with American athlete Noah Lyles, who also has a deal with Adidas, and his coach Lance Brauman in Florida. “Australia has just woken up to this kid. But these shoe companies … they’ve known all about him for two years,” James Templeton, Gout Gout’s manager, told Sydney Morning Herald.
At the 2022 Australian all schools athletics championships in Adelaide, Gout Gout broke the Australian under-16 200m record twice. “They (Adidas) always conveyed to me … not an urgency, but a real desire to get this guy – [A] ‘he’s going to be ours’ [message]. They successfully conveyed that to me all along,” James Templeton added. “Put it this way, the CEO of Adidas AG in Germany, was involved – not directly with me, but I was aware he was involved with Spencer Nel, the guy who did the deal,” he further stated.
Earlier in December, Gout Gout broke Usain Bolt’s Under-16 record after he clocked 20.04 seconds at the 2024 Australian schools championships. Bolt had registered a timing of 20.13 seconds during an athletics meet in Barbados in 2003. “It’s pretty crazy,” Gout Gout had said. “Right now I can’t process it, but I guess tonight when I go to bed, I’ll think about it. These are adults. And me, I’m just a kid, and I’m running them (down)," he added. Gout Gout also broke Peter Norman’s record of 20.06 seconds that the Australian legend had registered at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico.