Usain Bolt has labelled teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout the future of athletics – but even the GOAT could not believe his eyes when he saw the Australian run.
The 17-year-old is making his World Athletics Championships debut this week and has been talked up as the future face of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics after a string of fast times.
Gout underlined his vast potential in the first round of the men’s 200m, running 20.23 seconds to finish third in his race and qualify for the semi-finals.
That was faster than Bolt managed in his first major championship race 21 years ago. The eight-time Olympic champion was hampered by a leg injury at the 2004 Athens Olympics and could only manage 21.05s, almost a second slower.
Gout was easing off towards the end of the race, knowing the job was done and suggesting there is more to come in the next round.
Watching in the stands at Tokyo’s National Stadium, Bolt could not help but be amazed by what the teenager did.
Usain Bolt reacted in astonishment to Gout Gout’s blistering speed in Tokyo this week
The Australian (centre) is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in years
Gout was buzzing to run in front of his idol, who he hopes to emulate and win multiple Olympic and World Championship titles.
But before he chases the GOAT, he wants to run like a very different animal in the next round.
‘It’s a free hit (in the semi), so run like a horse, run like the wind!’ he said.
‘He [Bolt] is the GOAT and I just got out of the semi. It’s great to know I’m up against the top 24 in the world. It’s a great experience.
‘Usain Bolt is the athlete that everyone looks up to so I have to keep looking up to him and trying to be like him.
‘It’s definitely a pinch myself moment and I’m happy to be here.
‘It was a great experience running against the big dogs, it’s great to be out here and I’m excited for more.’
Gout ran 19.84s at the Australian Championships in April and, though it was just the wrong side of being legal due to the wind, it made headlines around the world.
Bolt, pictured here celebrating a world record in the 200m in Beijing 2008, could find his records under threat
The numbers being put up by Gout at such a young age are extraordinary
Bolt, the 200m world record holder, admits he struggled with the transition to senior athletics before he broke through in style with three Olympic gold medals in Beijing in 2008.
And the eight-time Olympic champion urged caution, insisting Gout needs the right people around him.
‘He has a great future,’ he said at a one-year countdown party to the first-ever World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
‘If he continues on this track it’s going to be good but it’s all about getting everything right. I mean, it’s never just easy.
‘It’s always easier when you’re younger because I was there, I used to do great things when I was young but the transition to senior from junior is always tougher.
‘It’s all about if you get the right coach, the right people around you.
‘If you’re focused enough, there will be a lot of factors to determine if he’s going to be great, and if he’s going to continue on the same trajectory to a championship or Olympics.’
Follow all the action from the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 on BBC.
