Who is Gout Gout, the Australian sprinter who has been compared to Usain Bolt?

Gout Gout, an Australian teenage sprinter recently grabbed the headlines with a stunning performance in the men’s 100m race of the Queensland Athletics Championships. The 16 year-old clocked a time of 10.29 seconds at the tournament in March, and has since been compared to Jamaican great Usain Bolt.

Read about a 16-year-old Sudanese kid in Australia who ran 100m in 10.2 seconds this year. Found the footage— freakin ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/Bz8tYuPkeK

— Del (@TheCartelDel) August 23, 2024

Having said that, Gout fell short of Bolt’s 100m world record of 9.58 seconds just narrowly. However, if his recent race is to go by, expect some exciting and unpredictable things from the promising teenager.

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So, who is Gout Gout? Here’s all you need to know about the athlete from Queensland:

Gout Gout was born on 29 December, 2007 in Queensland’s Ipswich to South Sudanese parents. A few years before he was born, his parents had emigrated to Australia. Aged 15, Gout took part at the 2023 Australian Junior Athletics Championships, where he won the men’s under-18 200m final. He set a new record last year, clocking 20.87 seconds, before beating his own record with a timing of 20.69 seconds in January.

20.87 200m at the age of 15 👀

🇦🇺’s Gout Gout is a rising star on home soil as he sets a national U20 record 👏

pic.twitter.com/TD702HpIXO

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) April 15, 2023

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He then ran the men’s 100m at the Queensland Athletics Championships in just 10.29 seconds in March this year, the video of which has gone viral on social media. It was in the final 50 metres of this race where he accelerated with full force to clinch the victory in Queensland.

Had the youngster ran at the 2024 Paris Olympics with this time, he would have made the preliminary round and eventually into the first round of the men’s 100m race. He is also a national record holder in men’s 100m and 200m events and also set personal bests in both events earlier this year.

When asked about being compared with Usain Bolt, Gout said: “It’s pretty cool because Usain Bolt is arguably the greatest athlete of all time and just being compared to him is a great feeling. Obviously I’m Gout Gout so I’m trying make a name for myself. If I can get to the level he was that would be a great achievement," he was quoted as saying in April by Fox Sports.

Gout will be 20 years old when the Los Angeles Olympics take place in 2028, and 24 when the Brisbane Olympics is held in 2032. While there’s a long road ahead for the promising teenager, the future certainly looks bright.