“Big talent” – Usain Bolt takes a gentle jab at Gout Gout with a down-to-earth reality check
Usain Bolt says that Gout Gout is a really talented young athlete, but he still has a lot to do to reach his full potential. The 18-year-old sprinter already holds the Oceanian and world under-20 records in the 200 meters. When Gout ran 19.67 seconds, he became the second-fastest U20 sprinter ever, even beating Bolt’s personal best of 19.93 at the same age.
Bolt still holds the world record for the 200m at 19.19 seconds, showing that things can change as athletes grow and that being the best young runner doesn’t always mean you’ll stay on top. But Gout is creating a lot of buzz as a possible challenger to Bolt’s amazing records.
Gout won a silver medal at the 2024 World Under-20 Championships and also competed in the senior event in Tokyo last year. Though he didn’t get past the semifinals at the senior level, he showed enough promise to get many people excited about his future.
Bolt thinks Gout could reach the very top of sprinting but also cautions that many young talents have been expected to be the next big star and didn’t quite make it. He told talkSPORT, “It’s great to see young athletes coming through. I’ve heard about people breaking my records for years, so it’s normal to see talent rising. But he definitely has huge talent, and if he keeps working hard, he can go far.”
Gout has started training with current Olympic 100m champ Noah Lyles and will race him for the first time at the Ostrava Golden Spike next month. Lyles, who’s never raced in Ostrava before, will be aiming to beat the 150m record of 14.92 seconds set by Kishane Thompson. Gout will return to Czechia after winning the 200m last June in 20.02 seconds.
Last summer, Gout trained with Lyles for two weeks and noticed how much faster and stronger the athletes were. He told Highflyer, “You have to always bring your best, stay focused and locked in.” Lyles also gave him some advice about staying true to himself, keeping calm, and learning when to say no—especially with fans.