At 17, Gout Gout is drawing comparisons to the legendary Usain Bolt after the Australian lowered his national record in his first professional race in Europe on Wednesday.
The youngster improved upon his own national record after he won the 200 meters at the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava in 20.02 seconds. It’s not the fastest he’s ever run over the half-lap sprint, but it’s gaining him more attention.
Gout posted two wind-assisted times under 20 seconds, clocking 19.84 and 19.98 at the national championship at Perth in April, but neither was considered legal because the wind was above allowable thresholds.
Even without those two sub-20 times, he’s still in the top seven all-time for Under-20s, a list that includes Bolt, the great Jamaica sprinter who dominated the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
Who Is Gout Gout?
Born 29 December 2007, Gout Gout was born in Ipswich, near Brisbane, in Queensland state, Australia. His parents are South Sudanese immigrants who moved to Australia in 2005.
Prior taking up track and field, Gout Gout played football in his younger days.
At age 16 last December, Gout ran 20.04 seconds to win the 200 at the national high school championships and break a 56-year-old national record over that distance set by 1968 Olympic silver medalist Peter Norman.
(With AP inputs)
