Australian wonderkid dubbed 'Oceanian Usain Bolt' sets another milestone after dominating Queensland Championships

ATHLETICS Australian wonderkid dubbed 'Oceanian Usain Bolt' sets another milestone after dominating Queensland Championships

Mark Kinyanjui 20:00 - 17.03.2024

The 16-year old, who recently ran the 200m in a time of 20.69s -just 0.11 seconds behind what Olympic legend Bolt achieved at the same age -, has achieved yet another millestone.

16-year-old Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout clocked a big Personal Best of 10.29s  to win the U-18 Boys 100m at the Queensland Athletics Championships in Brisbane this weekend.

Gout had previously set his own record of 10.43 in the event, so the fact that he is now getting closer to the sub-ten mark at such a tender age is indicative of why he has drawn comparisons already to Jamaican sprint sensation Usain Bolt.

Gout Gout, who was born and raised in Australia to South Sudanese parents who migrated to that country, had got even closer to smashing Bolt’s 2002 record of 20.58 by running at a time of 20.69 seconds, an Ocenian record.

The  speedstar rose to prominence last April after breaking an Australian junior 200m record, blitzing an under-18s race despite being at least two years younger than the majority of the field.

Jane Flemming, former Olympian and current president of Athletics Australia, has already identified Gout Gout as a potential star on the global stage. 

Flemming expressed her admiration for Gout's remarkable abilities during an interview on 2GB's Wide World of Sports Radio in January.

"There's a 16-year-old sprinter up in Queensland called Gout Gout, who if I've ever seen anybody run like Usain Bolt and built like him, he is it," Flemming remarked.

 "He's broken our national under-18 record and he is only 16. Have a Google of this guy and watch him run - he is built like Usain Bolt and he runs like him.

“He is running not dissimilar times to what Bolt did at the same age."

Usain Bolt, the legendary sprinter who amassed eight gold medals across three Olympic Games, is widely celebrated as one of the greatest sprinters in history.

Gout Gout, hailing from Queensland and attending the prestigious Ipswich Grammar School in Brisbane, has shown exceptional promise in the field of sprinting.

 In a 2022 interview with Athletics Australia, the young athlete expressed his passion for the sport, describing it as "personal," with results that "follow me performing."

With a personal best time of 10.43 seconds in the 100m, Gout has already demonstrated his impressive athleticism at a young age. 

His coach, Diane Sheppard, believes that Gout has only begun to tap into his full potential, indicating that there is much more to come from the budding sprinter.

As Gout Gout continues to develop and refine his skills, all eyes are on this rising star, eagerly anticipating his future performances on the world stage. 

With comparisons to the legendary Usain Bolt and a track record of impressive achievements, Gout Gout stands poised to make his mark in the world of sprinting.

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