Usain Bolt delivers resounding Gout Gout verdict as 16-year-old comments on similarities

Gout Gout

Gout Gout looks unstoppable (Image: Getty)

Usain Bolt believes Australian teenage sprint star Gout Gout “is like me”. Gout Gout, 16, at the Australian All Schools Championship when he completed the 200m at a rapid 20.04 seconds.

Not only did his speed trump that of legendary Australian, 1968 silver medallist Peter Norman, he also recorded a faster time than Bolt did in the 200m at the same age. Norman is a hallowed name in Aussie sports history for sharing the podium with John Carlos and Tommie Smith as they raised their fists in a black power salute in a poignant moment of protest in Mexico City, after he won his medal.

While , the young sprinting star maintains he’s focused on carving out his own legacy rather than eclipsing that of the iconic Jamaican. However, such is the extent of his rising fame that even Bolt acknowledged that he has a mini-me.

Reacting to a post by ‘Jumpers World’ on showcasing Gout Gout’s incredible run, Bolt couldn’t resist commenting: “He looks like young me.”

Bolt’s career was peppered with records, but perhaps none stands out more than his shattering of the 100m at the Berlin World Championships in 2009, where he flew through the finish line in a record-smashing 9.58 seconds. Gout Gout is rapidly closing in on achieving those record-breaking speeds.

In early December, he set a 100m record of 10.04 seconds on a sweltering day. Bolt also holds the 200m world record, which he achieved in Berlin with a blistering time of 19.19 seconds.

Notably, Gout Gout’s current performance surpasses Bolt’s records at the age of 16. While the now-retired Jamaican acknowledges their similarities, the young athlete also sees why many draw comparisons between them.

An Instagram message from Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt’s message was rather wholesome (Image: Instagram/Jumpers World)

In an interview with Nine, Gout Gout said: “I do see it [the similarity to Bolt. My stride length is pretty long, my knee height is pretty high and just the amount of tallness I get when I’m running. I’m just me trying to be me. Obviously, I do run like him. I do sometimes look like him.

“But obviously I’m making a name for myself, and I think I’ve done that pretty well. I just want to continue doing that and continue to be not only Usain Bolt but continue to be Gout Gout.”

The youngster recently spoke to Norman’s nephew, Matt, who paid tribute to his uncle with his documentary Salute. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Norman said: “I’ve spoken to him [Gout Gout], his coach and his manager. I said, ‘I hope you understand exactly what has happened and what you have done because a 56-year-old record is a huge achievement for anyone’.

“It’s amazing for us as a family and for Australia in general. I remember Peter saying to me, ‘It’s been too long, wouldn’t it be nice for someone to break my records? ‘ Unfortunately, he was not able to see it, but for us as a family, it’s a huge thing to celebrate a young Aussie.”

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