Teenage Australian sprint sensation, Gout Gout recently broke the record of former Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt at the Under-20 World Championship in Lima. The 16-year-old, who was born in Brisbane and his heritage traces back to South Sudan, clinched a silver medal after completing the 200m dash in 20.60 seconds, going past Usain Bolt, who participated in the same event in 2002 when he was 16 years of age and completed the race in 20.61 seconds.
During the event, South Africa’s Bayanda Walaza won a gold medal after the 18-year-old completed the race in 20.54 seconds. On the other hand, Britain won the bronze medal with a time of 20.81 seconds.
“I’m feeling really relieved after a long two weeks of being in Lima. I’ve been training, grinding and just waiting patiently for this race to happen. Now that it’s done, I’m really glad and ready to get in my bed and rest up for the (4x100m) relay,” the South Sudan-born sprinter was quoted as saying by news.com.au.
Gout Gout draws parallels to Usain Bolt
Apart from winning silver medal in the U20 World Championships, the teenager also holds the record in U-16 100m and 200m races. During the 200m Australian Junior Athletics Championship U18 final, he covered the distance in just 20.87 seconds. Athletics Australia President Jane Flemming compared Gout to Bolt early this year.
During a conversation with ABC, Gout called this comparison “pretty cool”. Bolt, who retired a few years back, has won eight Olympic gold medals and is a world-record holder of 100m and 200m sprints.