Bolt urges Gout to remain focused on track and field

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Legendary sprinter Usain Bolt has advised teenaged sensation Gout Gout to stay focused on track and field and to surround himself with the right people.

The rising 18-year-old Australian star retained his 200m title at the Australian Athletics Championships earlier this month in a World Under-20 record time of 19.67 seconds. It bested the old mark of 19.69 set by USA sprinter Erriyon Knighton and bettered Bolt’s time of 19.93 from 2004 – the Jamaican’s fastest time as a teenager.

Gout, who also claimed the Under-20 100m title, previously set the quickest time by a 16-year-old over 200m when he ran 20.04 in 2024.

In a recent interview with CNN, Bolt, who is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time and the current 100m and 200m world record holder, encouraged Gout to remain focused on his promising career.

“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,” Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medalist said.

“But if you mess up on track and field, then it all goes away.”

CMC