‘You Don’t Force It’ - Gout Gout’s Manager on Key Quality that Will Make Him Repeat Usain Bolt's Heroics

Teenage sprinting sensation Gout Gout could follow the trajectory of Olympic champions Usain Bolt and Noah Lyles by developing into a world-class 100-metre runner, according to his manager.

The 18-year-old has been a dominant force since his emergence in 2022, shattering multiple national and junior records across the 100m, 200m, and 400m. While the 200m has been his preferred event, his recent performances in the shorter sprint have turned heads.

Last month, Gout delivered what was described as "one of the greatest 100m performances" in Australian athletics history. Competing at a club meet in Queensland, he clocked a blistering 10.00 seconds, matching the fastest legal time ever run by an Australian on home soil and setting a new personal best.

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The time also demolished the previous under-20 Australian record of 10.15, set by Jake Doran in 2018, adding another milestone to his rapidly growing list of achievements.

Gout has already made his mark on the international stage, becoming the youngest sprinter ever to compete in the 200m at a World Athletics Championships when he represented Australia in Tokyo in 2025. He is currently ranked 15th globally in that event.

Despite a world ranking of 216th in the 100m, his manager, James Templeton, believes there is significant potential for improvement, drawing parallels with the careers of Bolt and Lyles, who both excelled in the 100m later in their development.

"It’s hard to say; at the moment the 200m is certainly his main event and focus," Templeton told SEN. "But there is a precedent for it. Not only Usain Bolt, who really didn’t take up running the 100m until he was 22-23 years old, but also Noah Lyles, who didn’t emerge as a 100-metre runner until his early 20s."

Templeton explained that the explosive power required for the 100m start often develops with physical maturity.

"There is a certain power and strength coming out of the glutes, the backside, it’s 'grown man strength' as they call it," he said. "That power over the first ten metres emerges over time, and you want it to come naturally."

"You don’t want to try and force it," Templeton added. "You don’t want to be doing an excessive amount of work on the starts, panicking about why he isn’t better over the first ten metres. Just allow it to come and allow the talent to come out of him."