Usain Bolt hands advice to Gout Gout after teen sensation breaks his record

Usain Bolt hopes Gout Gout has ‘the right set of people’ around him.

Because if he doesn’t, the burgeoning athletics star could lose sight of what matters most.

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Gout has taken several strides towards anointing himself as sprint king Bolt’s heir.

The 18-year-old recently set the new world-under 20 record in 200m with an absurd time of 19.67 at the senior Australian championships in Sydney.

It meant Gout was faster than Bolt at the same age, as the Jamaican superstar clocked 19.93 aged 17 in 2004 but never improved on it during his teenage years.

Bolt’s key advice for Gout

With Gout continuously turning heads in the athletics realm, it is inevitable more people will want a piece of the Aussie prodigy, whether that be sponsors or people who want to be part of his entourage.

But Bolt urged Gout to remember what has got him to where he is now given he has a limited window of success on the track.

“At that young age, because I was there, you start getting put left and right and then you forget track and field,” Bolt told CNN.

“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’s chance to announce himself on world stage

Although the attention surrounding Gout has predominantly stemmed from races in Australia, the teenager’s popularity could explode as soon as June.

Gout is expected to make his senior Diamond League debut in Norway on June 10, where he is anticipated to go up against reigning 200m Olympic king Letsile Tebogo.

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Tebogo won gold at the Paris Games in 2024 with a blistering time of 19.46.

However, the Botswana native last ran faster than Gout’s record-setting time of 19.67 in September 2025 when he finished fourth at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

Gout’s senior Diamond League debut will also be ideal preparation for the World Athletics U20 Championships, due to be held in Oregon in August.

Lightning strikes twice?

It is the same event where Bolt announced himself to the world in spectacular fashion.

The Jamaican was just 15 when he lit up Jamaica’s National Stadium in Kingston and won the 200m, making him the youngest-ever male to become a world junior champion of any discipline.

Although Gout won’t be able to eclipse Bolt on that front, he can still make himself known globally in equally-devastating fashion.

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“He’s a massive young talent,” Bolt said.

“Every time you step on that track, everybody’s going to always be looking for a fast time, always looking for you to do great, so hopefully he has the right people to help him to understand that not every day is gonna be a great day.”