Olympic legend Michael Johnson has urged caution over the rising euphoria surrounding Australian sprint teen Gout Gout.
The 16-year-old’s stock is growing rapidly following a number of eye-catching performances over the past few months.
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His meteoric rise continued on Saturday when he broke Peter Norman’s 56-year 200m Australian record at the All School Championships.
Not only was Norman’s long-serving feat cast aside but Usain Bolt’s previous record of 20.13 seconds was sent tumbling to third spot for athletes aged under 18.
And it was a weekend to remember for Gout who recorded an incredible 10.04 in a 100m heat on Friday.
It is hard not to get excited about what the future holds for Gout with the early signs suggesting he could be best placed to break Bolt’s 100m record of 9.58 seconds.
However, despite praising Gout’s performances so far, Johnson insists everybody must not get carried away by his potential too soon if he is to reach the mountain top.
Johnson wrote on X: “Peter Norman was one of my heroes. Hard to believe no Australian had runner (sic) faster than 20.06 over the last 56 years!
“Great performances! Fun to think about his potential. But even with such great potential, realizing it is a whole different thing. The greater the potential, the higher the risk. He’ll need a solid team around him to help him navigate the journey.”
Johnson made Olympic history of his own when he won 200m gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics before scooping a 200m-400m double four years later in Sydney.
Australian 400m runner John Steffensen agreed with Johnson’s sentiments and warned Gout’s team against allowing him to jump from junior to senior competition too soon.
“The reality is junior running and pro running are two different ball games,” Steffensen told Code Sports.
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“What I would like to see with him is he gets wrapped up in cotton wool and doesn’t get exposed to senior running any time soon.
“He needs to keep learning and acquiring skills, I’m not knocking the kid because he is a beast but people forget that Usain had a tough few years post world juniors.”
It is Bolt that he will inevitably draw comparisons to due in part to their similar running styles.
The Jamaican knows all about the 16-year-old after telling fans, “He looks like young me”.
Bolt’s words are likely to be the first of many about the Australian as he embarks on what could be an exciting career.
Former Australian sprinter Matt Shirvington also heaped huge praise on Gout, saying: “He will be the greatest athlete we have ever produced in this country. I’m saying that hands down.”
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But for now, focus is on Gout completing his Year 11 studies as he prepares for a world of opportunities ahead.
Gout is set to meet with his sponsor Adidas in Melbourne this week before travelling to Florida with his coach Di Sheppard and manager David Templeton for a two-week training camp alongside Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles.
Gout will return to school in February to begin his Year 12 studies alongside a host of competitions including the Queensland Championship, Australian Championship and the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next September.
