Gout Gout, a rising star in sprinting, has been gaining attention in the athletics world, but his manager urges caution regarding the increasing buzz around him.
At only 16, this Australian athlete has posted times that meet Olympic standards, drawing comparisons to Usain Bolt. His breakout moment came at this year’s U20 World Championships, where he broke Bolt’s 200m record from 2002 with an impressive 20.60-second run.
Recently, he set the fastest Australian 200m time in 31 years, clocking 20.29 seconds at the All Schools Queensland Championship.
His feats have attracted interest from major sports brands, including Adidas, who offered him a sponsorship deal. This partnership opens the door for Gout to potentially train alongside Noah Lyles, the reigning Olympic 100m champion, in the U.S.
James Templeton, Gout’s manager, spoke to ABC Sport about the opportunity: “We have the opportunity to go to Florida and join the training group of Noah Lyles and [coach] Lance Brauman. There’s about 16 or 18 top sprinters there. We’ll be heading over for two or three weeks. That’ll be a great opportunity, a wonderful educational experience.” He added, “I haven’t heard from Noah, but he’s a great guy and I’m sure he’ll be happy to take the younger guy under his wing a little bit.”
Despite the excitement, Templeton is cautious about the media attention Gout is receiving, saying, “I’ve avoided using the ‘UB’ [Bolt] comparison. I think that’s unfair to a young athlete.” Templeton shared that he’s kept Gout away from media engagements to allow him to lead a normal life: “We just want to allow him to be a normal kid at school. We don’t want him to have any distraction.”
This sentiment is shared by former sprinter Justin Gatlin, who urged people to avoid placing unnecessary pressure on young athletes. Gout’s potential, however, is undeniable, having set multiple national records, including the Under-16 100m record at 10.57 seconds at age 14, and the Under-18 200m record with a time of 20.87 seconds.
Templeton, acknowledging Gout’s unique talent, said, “Having seen a lot of great young athletes and sprinters over the years, I’m firmly convinced he has that something a little bit special to kick through to the very highest levels.” He added, “It’s great watching him run. He’s got that flow and rhythm which is just mesmerising.”
With a 100m personal best of 10.29 seconds, Gout is close to the 10-second benchmark for Olympic qualification, and his journey seems primed to only gain momentum. He’s already being seen as a potential medal contender for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, and by Brisbane 2032, his home Games, he’ll still only be 24 years old.
