An Olympic gold medal winner has made his choice clear in the growing debate between Usain Bolt and sprinting prodigy Gout Gout.
Ever since he burst on to the scene with a 20.04 second time to break the Australian 200m record that had been there for 56 years, Gout Gout has enjoyed growing praise from right across the track and field world.
After the impressive run in December 2024, the 17-year-old further elevated his name when he broke his own record to win the Australian 200m title with a 19.84 finish. Officially, it didn't count on the record books due to tailwind speed of plus 2.2 metres per second.
His brilliance early in the career have drawn comparisons to eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt, who was himself unbelievable in the junior competitions before wreaking havoc in the senior athletics groups.
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However, Canadian Olympic gold medallist Aaron Brown has set the record straight on the growing comparisons between the two in a recent episode of his show Trackside.
Gout Gout's comparisons to Usain Bolt
Aged 33, Brown is a three-time Olympic medallist and specialises in the 100 and 200m races.
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He stated that a lot of athletes had been compared to Bolt over the years, but nothing ever materialised for them.
Brown said: "If you're asking me if he's going to be the next Usain Bolt, I'm going to be out on that for now. I reserve the comparisons because you've seen them throughout the decade, throughout my whole career, I've heard, 'This guy is the next Usain Bolt' and it hasn't materialised.
"So I think we can pump the breaks on that one."
'Gout Gout is very impressive'
The Canadian went on to praise Gout for the brilliance he has shown early in his career.
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"In terms of his potential and his talent, I'm definitely in on that. The way he closes races is very impressive.
"He's got something that a lot of athletes aspire to have when they run especially in the 200 meters, which is to have that strong finish," Brown added.
Gout has already trained with Olympic champion Noah Lyles and is set to also compete in the World Championships later this year where the entire world will be watching to see how he does.
While Brown did not want to go as far as saying Gout was the next Bolt, he understood why the two were being compared.
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The 33-year-old said: "He looks very special and he's got the capabilities to go a lot faster. He's a very tall sprinter, lanky guy, he's got the frame and I understand the Bolt comparisons cause he kind of looks like a young Bolt with you know the little twists in the dreads.
"He's also got this great name - Gout Gout, Usain Bolt - it just sounds like a future world record holder. Gout Gout, it's very unique, very one of one, so I get it, he's got the makings of a star in the future and I'll give him that."
Topics: Athletics, Olympics, Usain Bolt, Gout Gout
Godwin Mathew