Eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt has urged Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout to ensure he has a strong team around him to ensure he stays on track as he hits the global stage.
The 18-year-old caught the eye of athletics fan once again on the weekend as defended his Under 20 100-metre title at the Australian Junior Championships at Brisbane’s Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre.
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Gout was gunning to break the 10-second barrier, but a time of 10.21 seconds with a legal wind of +0.5 metres per second was comfortably enough to maintain his position as the nation’s most exciting sprinting prospect.
That performance came a week after he clocked an astonishing 19.67sec run in the 200 metres in Sydney – the 16th fastest time of all-time.
Bolt has certainly stood up and taken notice.
Gout Gout waves on the way to win | 00:25
The Jamaican legend had previously noted that Gout reminds him of a younger version of himself, and speaking at an event in Switzerland, said he hopes the Australian does not succumb to distractions away from the track.
“At that young age, because I was there, you start getting put left and right and then you forget track and field,” Bolt told CNN Sports.
“Hopefully, he has the right set of people to guide him and keep him focused on track and field because the rest of the stuff will always be there.
“But if you mess up on track and field, then it all goes away.”
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Gout Gout celebrates after winning the 100m final of the Australian Athletics Junior Championships.Source: AFPFormer Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt arrives for a photo call during the “Watches and Wonders Geneva” luxury watch fair, in Geneva, Switzerland.Source: AP
2026 is shaping up as the biggest year yet of Gout’s fledgling career.
He has already made the big decision to forgo the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to focus on the Under 20 World Championships in the United States.
Two years ago, the Queenslander truly announced himself on the world stage by claiming silver in the 200m in the previous edition in Peru.
Gout is set to make a splash internationally again when he makes his maiden Diamond League appearance in Norway in June.
The teenager will go head-to-head with reigning Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo in his senior debut.
The Botswana sprinter knows all about Gout, suggesting last year that the young Australian could become one of the best of all-time.
Letsile Tebogo prepares ahead of the 400m Final as part of the 2025 Maurie Plant Meet at Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium.Source: Getty Images
But Bolt believes the expectations placed on Gout cannot be too great as he makes the step up, despite boasting such a strong reputation.
“It’s so big … It’s totally different,” he recalls.
“I remember coming out of high school going on the circuit, I felt like I was on top of the world because I was winning and running good.
“When I got on the circuit, I didn’t win one race!
“I know it’s going to be an eye-opener, and I hope it doesn’t get him down but motivate him to work even harder.
“I think in the first year you will learn a lot and understand what you need to do to be better.”
Aussie sprinter makes history | 00:18
It was at the Under 20 World Championships where Bolt too announced himself as a star of the future.
In front his home fans in Jamaica, the future 100m and 200m world record holder became the youngest ever male world junior champion in any event.
He won gold in the 200m at just 15 years of age.
Six years later, Bolt did the 100m and 200m double at the Beijing Olympics – the first of three straight Games where he achieved that feat.
It was not his first Olympics, however.
Bolt debuted in Athens in 2004, but was hampered by a leg injury and was eliminated in the first round of the 200m.
He knows that as a young star on the rise, you must be prepared for setbacks and that his message for Gout.
“He’s a massive young talent,” Bolt said.
“Every time you step on that track, everybody’s going to always be looking for a fast time, always looking for you to do great, so hopefully he has the right people to help him to understand that not every day is gonna be a great day.”
14 year-old STUNS with insane 200m run | 00:34
Bolt also raised his concerns about the state of track and field.
In his prime, the Jamaican was must watch television any time he hit the track.
He feels that star quality is lacking a little bit at present, and the sport needs to make things more excitement.
Gout certainly showed that he can be a showman in Brisbane on the weekend.
When he hit the front in the final 20 metres, he took the chance to wave to the crowd.
“The more of a show there is the more people are going to come and watch,” Gout said post-race.
“The more people, the more pressure there is. The more pressure, the faster you run. I love putting on a show.”
Gout Gout waves to his family as he crosses the finish line to win the 100m final of the Australian Athletics Junior Championships.Source: AFPGout Gout poses with fans after winning the 100m final of the Australian Athletics Junior Championships.Source: AFP
He also took the chance to call out reigning Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles.
The brash American has made headlines around Olympics and World Championships, and Gout wants the chance to take him on.
“I’m fairly sure I’ll be racing him (Lyles), I’m not sure in what exact meet,” he said.
“It definitely means a lot, knowing I can go up against the Olympic champion and multi-time world champion.
“It definitely feels great and I will definitely up my game for sure versing the best guy in the world right now. I definitely feel great and it will definitely push me along.”
US sprinter Noah Lyles celebrates after competing in the men’s 200m semi-final during the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.Source: AFP
That behaviour from Gout is perhaps exactly what Bolt wants to see in track and field going forward.
“I’m not the only one saying it,” he said.
“People are always saying ‘Track and field is going down … I don’t watch it because you left.’
“Athletics needs a bit of a revamp. It needs a little bit more excitement … It’s not always about time, but it’s about the competition, the energy that it brings and that’s not there anymore.
“The sports needs to figure out a way to get people engaged in track and field.”