Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles has spoken honestly about teenage sensation, Gout Gout.
Last week, Lyles was one of the stars of the show as the 2025 World Athletics Championships took place in Tokyo, Japan.
The American won bronze in the 100m before clinching the gold medal in the 200m.
During the 200m event, Australian teenager Gout was the youngest runner to take part, but failed to qualify for the final.
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Despite the disappointment, the future is still very bright for the 17-year-old, who has been tipped to become one of the big names in the sport.
During a recent interview with The Guardian, Lyles was asked whether Gout could reach his full potential, and he warned that just having talent is not always enough.
Lyles explained: "He’s obviously so young, very talented, but there’s so many people who have been talented in our sport that unfortunately haven’t been able to hit that upper echelon.
"It’s more about, what’s the path he’s going to take, who’s the team that he’s going to take with him, and how much work are you going to put into not just being athletic, but knowing that you’ve got to be a businessperson and you’ve got to be it young.'"
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He continued: "That’s the hardest part about being such a young talent, you have to grow up so much faster than everybody else.
"When people get to come to you and they’re like, ‘hey, we need this of you’, unfortunately you don’t get to say ‘I’m only a teenager’. Because once you sign the contract, once you’re on the track, you’re no longer a teenager, you’re now a businessman."
Looking ahead, Lyles admitted that the future of sprinting is 'hazy' with no set direction.
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The 28-year-old added: "The future of sprinting is hazy right now. There is so much talent, there is so much room for growth and there are so many new personalities coming up, but I feel the way that the sport is right now, nobody knows which direction to go in."
Topics: Noah Lyles, Athletics, Gout Gout, Olympics
Marcus Chan