Bolt advises Gout not to forget track and field
TL;DR
Usain Bolt advises Australian sprinter Gout Gout to stay focused on track and field amidst rising fame. Gout recently won the 200m title at the Australian Athletics Championships, breaking records previously held by Bolt and others.
Key points
- Usain Bolt advises Gout Gout to stay focused on athletics
- Gout Gout won silver in the 200m at the 2024 World Under-20 Championships
- He broke the world under-20 record with a time of 19.67 seconds
- Gout also won the under-20 100m national title
- He previously set the quickest time by a 16-year-old over 200m
Gout Gout won silver in the 200m at the 2024 World Under-20 Championships aged 16 [Getty Images]
Sprint legend Usain Bolt has urged rising Australian star Gout Gout not to forget track and field and find a good support network to keep him focused on his career as the spotlight and distractions intensify.
Gout, 18, retained the 200m title at the Australian Athletics Championships on 12 April in a time of 19.67 seconds, beating USA sprinter Erriyon Knighton's world under-20 record (19.69) and bettering Bolt's time of 19.93 from 2004 â the Jamaican's fastest time as a teenager.
Gout, who also claimed the under-20 100m national title, went under the 20-second mark at last season's championships with a wind-assisted 19.84 and previously set the quickest time by a 16-year-old over 200m when he ran 20.04 in 2024.
Offering advice to Gout, who he has previously said "looks like young me", Jamaican eight-time Olympic champion Bolt told CNN: "At that young age, because I was there, you start getting put left and right and then you forget track and field.
"Hopefully he has the right set of people to guide him and keep him focused on track and field because the rest of the stuff will always be there.
"But if you mess up on track and field, then it all goes away."
Gout is set to make his Diamond League debut in the 200m in Oslo on 10 June but has indicated he will skip the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to focus on the World Under-20 Championships in Oregon in August.
Q&A
What records did Gout Gout break at the Australian Athletics Championships?
Gout Gout broke the world under-20 record in the 200m with a time of 19.67 seconds, surpassing Erriyon Knighton's previous record of 19.69 seconds.
What advice did Usain Bolt give to Gout Gout?
Usain Bolt advised Gout Gout to not forget track and field and to build a strong support network to help him stay focused on his career.
How did Gout Gout perform in previous championships?
Gout Gout previously set the quickest time by a 16-year-old over 200m with a time of 20.04 seconds in 2024 and won the under-20 100m national title.
