A 16-year-old sprinter from Australia has become a viral sensation after fan footage from his 100m race at the Queensland Athletics Championships emerged online.
Gout Gout, who was born in Brisbane in 2007 – two years after his parents migrated to Australia from South Sudan – has been dubbed the next Usain Bolt by many.
Not long after receiving his first pair of spikes at Ipswich Grammar School in South East Queensland, where he impressed onlookers with his raw speed, he ran 100m in 10.57s at the age of 14.
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It didn't take long for coach Diane Sheppard to improve his technique.
Back in November 2022, she told Athletics Australia: “Six or eight months ago, he looked like one of those things that blow around in car yards. His arms were out of control."
Sheppard added: “People are quick to comment saying look how bad his start is, but the kid hasn’t even got full control of his limb length yet."
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Gout looked at home on the track and 12 months later, he was breaking national records. In fact, Gout is currently the holder of the Australian under-16 100m and 200m records.
Last year, he ran 20.87s to win the under-18 men's 200m final at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships in Brisbane and in January, he achieved a time of 20.69s – which is just 0.11s behind Bolt's time at the same age.
Then, back in March, Gout clocked a personal best time of 10.29s to win the under-18 boys 100m at the 2024 Queensland Athletics Championships – a race that has since been viewed by millions.
Although the record-breaking run was completed several months ago, the footage has blown up on X, formerly Twitter, after user Del Walker uploaded the clip to his feed on Friday morning.
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"Read about a 16-year-old Sudanese kid in Australia who ran 100m in 10.2 seconds this year. Found the footage— freakin ridiculous," he said. "His name is Gout Gout, remember the name. No way is this kid not gonna be an Olympian one day."
Here's how fans on social media have reacted to the above footage.
One wrote: "It’s like he pressed the 2x speed button halfway into that sprint," while another commented: "Gout Gout might be the one to break Bolt's record."
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A third said: "This is impressive for a 16-year-old. If properly managed, he will dominate the Olympics soon."
A fourth wrote: "With a turn of speed like that after 55m/60m I would like to see this lad run the 200m."
A fifth added: "Gout Gout is selected for Australia in the World Junior Championships in Peru next week. Interesting to see how his undoubted talent measures up at that level. Might be even quicker when he sorts out his start. Seems up stand up out of the blocks. Some stride length in full flow."
Topics: Athletics, Olympics, Usain Bolt, Fan Reactions
Jack Kenmare