EXPLAINER
Al Jazeera’s lowdown on the 17-year-old sprinter of South Sudanese heritage who is drawing comparisons with Usain Bolt.
Gout Gout, a 17-year-old Australian sprinter, has taken the world by storm following his record-breaking runs in the country’s school and national-level athletics championships over the past six months.
His electric speed, lithe form on the track, and cheerful demeanour have drawn comparisons with some of the greatest athletes of all time, including Jamaica’s Usain Bolt.
Gout won the Australian 200-metre men’s title with a wind-assisted timing of 19.84 seconds at the Australian Athletics Championships in Perth on Sunday.
Here’s what you need to know about the young sprint sensation and why he could be the next worldwide track and field superstar.
Who is Gout Gout?
Born to Monica and Bona on December 29, 2007, he is one of seven siblings in the Gout family who migrated to Australia from South Sudan in 2005 and settled in the eastern state of Queensland.
In Gout’s hometown Ipswich, Queensland, his school’s experienced track and field coach Diane Sheppard swiftly took the young boy under her wing upon spotting his talent.
His first taste of success came at the age of 13, when he won the 100-metre and 200-metre races in a school competition, but the lanky teenager remained humble and earned plaudits from his coach.
“My biggest thing with the kids is about being humble, and he has got it in bucket loads,” Sheppard told Australian Athletics in 2022.
Despite his rapid rise on the track, it was not until December 2024 that the rest of the world took notice of his prodigious talent.
YOU GOUT TO BE KIDDING! 💥⚡
20.05 for World Lead ✅
19.98 (+3.6) in the final for the fastest ever time by an Aussie in all conditions ✅If Gout Gout hadn’t already sent a thunderous message to the sprinting world, he has now at the Queensland State Championships. More to… pic.twitter.com/tR4Rt64Khc
— Australian Athletics (@AustralianAths) March 16, 2025
How many races has Gout won?
Over the past three years, he has dominated the 100m and 200m races in Australia’s age-group athletics championships, winning gold in both categories since the age of 15.
The 1.83-metre (6-foot) athlete also won the 200m gold at the Oceania U18 Athletics Championships in 2024.
Which records have Gout broken?
When Gout clocked 20.04 seconds in the 200m race at the Australian All Schools Championships in December 2024, he became the fastest U16 200m runner in history. In the process, he surpassed Bolt’s time of 20.13 and became the second-fastest 200m male athlete ever in the under-18 category.
At the same competition, Gout won the 100m final in 10.17 seconds and broke the Australian U18 record.
He’s FLYING 😱
17-year-old Gout Gout blazes to 19.84 (+2.2) to win the senior men’s 200m at the Australian Athletics Championships 😤
📸 @caseysims_ pic.twitter.com/F601E5osDi
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) April 13, 2025
How did Gout shoot to fame?
While most of his record-breaking exploits have been at the national level, it is Gout’s rapid rise and the remarkable progression in the 200m race that contributed to his growing popularity.
Comparisons with Bolt, considered by many to be the greatest sprinter of all time, have contributed to the global media spotlight on the teenager, who is currently placed 30th in World Athletics’ 200m rankings.
How has the world reacted to Gout’s exploits?
According to Australian media, Gout has become a star and attracts attention when in public.
“The cork’s out of the genie bottle now,” Gout’s coach Sheppard was quoted as saying of his rising popularity in the past six months.
Videos of Gout’s exploits on the field have gone viral, with fans calling him the “future of 200m”.
Former Olympian and Athletics Australia President Jane Flemming has not shied away from comparing Gout with Bolt.
“If I’ve ever seen anybody run like Bolt and built like him, he [Gout] is it,” Flemming said.
What’s next for Gout?
Gout is yet to compete in a senior World Athletics championship, but he could make his debut as early as July 2025 should Australian Athletics choose to send him.
He believes that he can go even faster, and he may be onto something; his personal best in the 200m has drastically improved from 22.68 seconds in 2021 (aged 13) to less than 20 seconds in 2025.
“There is always pressure, but I am just running,” Gout says.
