- Has drawn comparisons to the legendary Usain Bolt
- Youngster outlined his career goals in rare TV interview
Aussie sprint sensation Gout Gout clearly isn’t short of confidence after declaring he wants to ‘honestly dominate like Usain Bolt did’ on the world stage for close to a decade.
The 17-year-old, who attends Ipswich Grammar School in Brisbane, was a guest on Fox Sports ‘The Back Page on Tuesday.
With constant comparisons to the Jamaican superstar which Gout finds ‘tiring’, the teenager firmly believes he can emulate his hero, who won eight Olympic gold medals in his unmatched career on the track.
‘I think the limit is just obviously winning Olympics and winning world championships and honestly dominating like Bolt did,’ Gout said.
‘I think that limit is reachable for me.’
In the lead up to the Brisbane Games in 2032, the pressure for Gout to deliver at his home Olympics – should he qualify – will be immense.
Aussie sprint sensation Gout Gout clearly isn’t short of confidence after declaring he wants to ‘honestly dominate like Usain Bolt did’ on the world stage
The 17-year-old, who attends Ipswich Grammar School in Brisbane, was a guest on Fox Sports’ The Back Page on Tuesday (pictured left, with host Tony Squires)
With constant comparisons to the Jamaican superstar which Gout finds ‘tiring’, the teenager firmly believes he can eventually emulate his hero
Bolt won eight Olympic gold medals – and in 2009 at the World Athletics Championships in Germany scorched across the track to win the 100m in 9.58 seconds (pictured)
But Gout believes he can first leave an impression at the LA Games come 2028.
‘The times I’ve run so far could potentially make it into finals, make the top four, top five, top six,’ he said.
‘Just getting better and aiming for LA obviously would be a great achievement and trying to be on that podium running against (Olympic 200m gold medallist Letsile) Tebogo, Noah (Lyles), (Lachlan) Kennedy, all them athletes.
‘That’s definitely a goal of mine and to keep aiming for the top.’
Gout’s times are incredible given his age and the fact he is still maturing physically.
His PB in the 100m is a wind-assisted 9.99 seconds, not far off Bolt’s jaw-dropping world record of 9.58 seconds set in 2009.
The youngster also firmly believes he can eventually eclipse Bolt’s 19.19 run in the 200m, which is his favourite event.
Having clocked a wind-assisted 19.84 over 200m at the Australian Athletics Championships in April shows the hype around Gout is justified.
The young gun also revealed he recently rubbed shoulders with a number of Collingwood AFL stars on a domestic flight.
The Magpies players were keen for a photo and a star-struck Gout obliged – but the experience won’t stop him supporting the Brisbane Lions.
‘I was star gazing myself and they came up to me asking for a photo, so I was like that’s pretty crazy,’ he said.
‘Those athletes are obviously amazing, Collingwood is cool, Brisbane Lions are better, but people asking me for photos is great.’
