TOKYO -- Who is Gout Gout? Just how fast can he sprint? Is he the next Usain Bolt? How do you pronounce his name? And can he win gold for Australia at either the World Athletics Championships or the Olympic Games?
We've answered every question you can possibly have about Australia's next great track star on the eve of the world championships in Tokyo.
Who is Gout Gout?
Gout is a highly touted, emerging Australian sprinter and the nation's current record holder in the men's 200m.
Born in Ipswich, Queensland, Gout spent his junior years playing competitive football before electing to shift his sporting focus to athletics. Gout first caught the attention of athletics coaches at age 12 after impressing at an Ipswich Grammer School carnival in 2020. He rose to prominence two years later, as a 14-year-old, clocking an Australian under-16 record of 10.57s in the 100m. The following year, at age 15, Gout won the under-18 men's 200m final at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships in Brisbane in a time of 20.87s, also a national under-16 record.
Gout has arguably the most potential of any sprinter in Australian history and has the potential to be in contention for medals at Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and world championship level throughout his career.
How old is Gout Gout?
Gout's birthday is December 29, 2007. As of the 2025 World Athletics Championships (September 13-21), Gout is 17 years of age. He will be 18 years of age at next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, 20 years of age at the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, and 24 years of age when the Olympic Games are in Brisbane in 2032.
What ethnicity is Gout Gout?
Gout is of South Sudanese heritage. Both his father, Bona, and mother, Monica, were born in South Sudan. They migrated to Australia via Egypt in 2006. Gout was born, as the third of seven children, the following year in Ipswich, Queensland.
What is Gout Gout's fastest time in the 100m?
Gout's personal best time in the 100m is a wind assisted 9.99s, achieved twice on April 10, 2025 at the Australian Athletics Championships in Perth. Gout posted the exact same time in both his heat (+3.5m/s) and the final (+2.6m/s), but neither effort is considered legal by World Athletics, given there was more than 2.0m/s of wind assistance present in both runs.
Nevertheless, Gout joined Patrick Johnson (a legal 9.93s in 2003) and Rohan Browning (a wind assisted 9.96s in 2021) as the only Australians to ever break the 10-second barrier over 100m, regardless of conditions. Lachlan Kennedy has since joined this select group with a legal run of 9.98s in June at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet in Nairobi, Kenya.
Last month, at a school meet in Queensland, Gout ran the 100m in 9.94s. However, this effort was hand-timed and likely lacks accuracy, and is also not legally recognised by World Athletics.
Gout's best legal time in the 100m came at the 2024 Australian All Schools Athletics Championships on December 7, 2024, running a 10.17s to break the Australian under-18 record.
Usain Bolt holds the record in the 100m with a time of 9.58s set on August 16, 2009, at the IAAF world championships in Berlin.
What is Gout Gout's fastest time in the 200m?
Gout ran a legal 20.02s in the 200m at the Golden Spike Ostrava on June 24, 2025, breaking his own national record in the event by 0.02s. It is the second-fastest under-18 time ever posted in the 200m.
Gout also ran a wind assisted 19.98s (+3.6) over the distance at the Queensland Athletics Championships in March, 2025. Just as with his wind assisted 100m times, this run is not recognised by World Athletics. However, it was the sixth-quickest time ever posted in the event, regardless of conditions, by an under-20 athlete.
Bolt also holds the record in the 200m with a time of 19.19s set on August 20, 2009, at the IAAF world championships in Berlin.
Why is Gout Gout not competing in the 100m at the World Athletics Championships?
Gout elected to sit out the 100m at the Australian Athletics Championships in April earlier this year, which served as the qualifying event for the World Athletics Championships.
He will instead focus on his preferred 200m distance this week in Tokyo, a race that affords him more time to work into the race and hit top speed. His team also opted to skip the 100m at the world championships in an effort to not heap too much expectation on his shoulders too early.
Instead, representing Australia in the 100m in Japan will be Joshua Azzopardi and Rohan Browning, the latter making the team after Lachlan Kennedy withdrew with a stress fracture in his back.
Gout will also not feature in the 100m relay at this year's world championships.
How can I watch Gout Gout at the World Athletics Championships?
Australians will have the opportunity to tune in and watch Gout make his debut at the World Athletics Championships either through the Nine Network or SBS. Both broadcasters will be screening every event of the nine-day program live and free on channel.
READ: Everything you need to know about the World Athletics Championships
Heats for the men's 200m will take place in Tokyo on Wednesday, September 17 at 8:15pm local time (9:15pm AEST). Semifinals of the event will be staged on Thursday, September 18 at 9:02pm (10:02pm AEST), with the final scheduled for Friday, September 19 at 10:06pm (11:06pm AEST).
How do you pronounce Gout Gout?
Is it "Gowt Gowt" or "Gwot Gwot"? It's fair to say there's been some confusion around the pronunciation of Gout's name since he burst onto the Australian sporting scene.
In an interview with Channel 7 in 2024, Gout's father, Bona, confirmed his son's name should not be pronounced the same way as the common foot disease, explaining the spelling of his name was a result of a mix-up by the Sudanese government when the family fled the country to Egypt, before Gout was born.
"I know that gout is a disease name," said Bona. "I don't want my son to be called a disease name."
However, later in the year, Gout's manager, James Templeton, declared on radio station SEN his sprinter's name will be pronounced "Gowt Gowt" moving forward.
"I know there's been a bit of discussion, and I know his dad made a few comments, but 'Gout Gout' is how it's going to be," said Templeton. "You know the thing you hope to avoid in your ankle? That's how it's pronounced."
Who is Gout Gout's coach?
Gout has been coached by Australian holistic trainer Di Sheppard since the beginning of 2021. Sheppard has become well known for her approach of developing resilience in her athletes as much as building and improving their physical attributes.
"She basically told me that I could be great," Gout said of Sheppard. "That was the first time anyone ever told me something like that."
In 2024, Sheppard won Queensland Athletics' coach of the year award.
Why has Gout Gout been compared to Usain Bolt?
Gout has been consistently likened to athletics megastar Usain Bolt, given his tall frame, athletic build, magnetic personality, and, perhaps most importantly, eerily similar vertical-with-high-knee sprinting action. In fact, analysis shows Gout has a near identical stride length to Bolt when the Jamaican was at the peak of his powers.
Like Bolt, the eight-time Olympic champion, Gout made a splash in the athletics world at a young age. Gout's best time in the 200m as a 16-year-old was actually better than Bolt had managed at the same age. However, at age 17, Bolt posted a 19.93s in the 200m -- 0.09s quicker than Gout's legal best -- to put himself in medal contention at the Athens Olympics.
"My top-end speed is my secret," says Gout. "I've just got to focus on the first 100m and once I get out of that bend, I know I can run people down. Stay relaxed. Stay focused. Power through."
Who sponsors Gout Gout?
At the end of 2024, Gout reportedly signed a lucrative AU$6 million contract with sporting apparel giant Adidas. The deal is expected to run until the Brisbane Olympics in 2032 and see Gout pocket approximately AU$1 million per year.
As part of the agreement, Gout was afforded the opportunity to travel to Florida to train with Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles and his coach Lance Brauman.
You can make the case Gout is now Australia's most marketable athlete, with countless sponsors and global brands beginning to queue up for his signature.
Has Gout Gout ever competed at the Olympic Games?
No, Gout has not yet represented Australia at the Olympic Games. His first opportunity to do so will be at Los Angeles 2028. This week is the first time he will represent Australia at the World Athletics Championships.
Can Gout Gout win gold at the Olympic Games?
It's an impossible question to answer, but Gout certainly has the talent and potential to be a true contender in the world's biggest sprint races throughout his athletics career.
The 200m race is his preferred distance and the event he's likely to enjoy more success in at international level. How much success? Well, that's anyone's guess!