Gout Gout vs. Usain Bolt: How the Australian teen sensation compares to the senior 100m and 200m world record holder 

It’s not often that a sprinting talent comes around that is worthy of comparison with the great Usain Bolt.

But the performances of Australia’s 16-year-old Gout Gout have been so exciting of late that athletics aficionados are purring with excitement about the prospect of just how good this young sprinter can be.

Throughout 2024, Gout’s performances have seen him break a slew of records, culminating in a run at the Australian All Schools Championships in Brisbane on 7 December, where he became the fastest 16-year-old 200m runner in history.

That single performance has left many in the world wondering just how far the teenage sensation can go. And who better to compare him to than the greatest sprinter of all time - Usain “Lightning” Bolt.

How does Gout Gout stack up against a young Usain Bolt

Gout’s 200m run of 20.04 seconds in the final of this year’s Australian All Schools Championships was historic on a number of levels.

Firstly, he became the fastest Australian 200m runner of all time, beating Peter Norman’s national record of 20.06 seconds set all the way back at the Olympic Games Mexico City 1968.

Norman’s run was enough to win him an Olympic silver medal but the rapid rise of Gout has brought a level of excitement to Australian sprinting not seen in over half a century.

Gout’s record-breaking 200m run earned him another distinction, as he also claimed the Area Record, becoming the fastest sprinter in Oceanian history.

However, perhaps the one statistic that is making everyone sit up and take notice is the fact that this run also saw Gout claim a world record.

The Aussie youngster now stands alone as the fastest 16-year-old half-lap runner of all time, taking the record of the legend Bolt whose time of 20.13 seconds at the same age was just under a tenth of a second slower than Gout.

Gout Gout closes in on more history with under-20s record within his sights

While Gout has shown himself to be in a league of his own for a 16-year-old, his history-making run takes him one step closer to a number of other records that may well be within his sights over the coming months and years.

He now sits second on the all-time list of under-18 200m runners, behind only the USA’s Erriyon Knighton who set a time of 19.84 seconds as a 17-year-old back in 2001. Knighton already has a silver medal from the 2023 World Athletics Championships and bronze from the Olympic Games Paris 2024 to his name just three years later.

Once again, Gout’s record takes him above Bolt in that particular list, with the Jamaican’s best under-18 time a 20.13-second run from 2003, which, at the time, was also the age group world record.

However, perhaps even more impressive is the fact that Gout is now placed joint-sixth on the all-time list of under-20 200m runners, a ranking that is made up of athletes who were up to four years older than him when they set their times.

If he is to top that list, he will need to slash over half a second off his personal best to beat Knighton’s record of 19.49 seconds set in 2022.

Gout Gout and the race for the 100m junior world records

While Gout’s performances over 200m have captured the world’s attention, his form over the blue ribband 100m distance proves that this is an athlete you won’t want to miss in any sprint event.

While his personal best of 10.17 seconds places him 10th on the all-time Under-18 list, his performance in the heats of the recent Australian All Schools Championships saw him set one of the fastest junior 100m times in history.

Gout’s wind-assisted run of 10.04 seconds was the fourth-fastest ever run by an under-18 year old but due to the illegality of the weather conditions will not be counted in the record books.

Of course, running fast times as a junior does not always ensure success as a senior athlete.

However, if he needed any encouragement, Gout can look to the words of the great Bolt himself, who responded to the Australian’s record-breaking performances on Instagram.

“He looks like young me,” wrote Bolt.

High praise indeed.