Noah Lyles Gives Honest Warning to Gout Gout Ahead of Rare Sprint Clash

Reigning Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles has revealed he is mentoring Australian teenage prodigy Gout Gout, praising the young sprinter's "youthful energy" and drive for greatness as he fired warning shots ahead of their clash.

Noah Lyles, who secured the 100m title at the Paris 2024 Olympics, recently trained with the 18-year-old Australian ahead of their upcoming clash at the Ostrava Golden Spike in Czechia on June 16.

The two athletes are set to compete against each other for the first time in a non-Olympic 150m race. Gout Gout captured the attention of the athletics world last month when he shattered the 20-second barrier in the 200m, clocking an impressive 19.67 seconds to become the first Australian to achieve the feat.

While Gout Gout, the current U-20 200m world record holder, won the 200m event in Ostrava last year, the upcoming race will mark Lyles's debut at the meet.

The eight-time world champion expressed his excitement about competing over the unconventional 150m distance on a standard 400m track.

"I’ve never run a 150 on, I guess, a regular track. Every 150 I’ve run it has been on the straightaway, so I’m pretty eager," Lyles explained in a press conference before the Seiko Golden Grand Prix. "I run really good 150s in practice, so again, I think it’s going to be really fast."

Speaking at the same time, Noah Lyles also shared his admiration for the world under-20 200m silver medallist, hailing his drive to do better in every race.

"Gout, he’s a really good kid. He came over to train with us last year for about two weeks and then did the same thing this year," Lyles said.

"I’m just teaching as much as I can in two weeks. He absorbs a lot of information, and he wants to be the best. He’s eager, and that’s really good to see, and it’s really fun to see that youthful spirit again," the American champion added.

"It’s really nice to know that the people coming up are really excited to want to obtain high, high goals and achievements."

Following his victory at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo, Noah Lyles is scheduled to compete in the 100m at Diamond League meetings in Rome on June 4 and Paris on June 28.