World record holder Usain Bolt has offered crucial advice to young Australian sprinter Gout Gout for a successful career. Bolt highlighted the rapid progress of the 18-year-old athlete and emphasized the necessity of a strong support team around him. This is essential to help Gout stay focused on track and field and avoid the distractions that accompany success.

Gout Gout recently won the 200 meters at the Australian Athletics Championships with a time of 19.67 seconds and secured another victory in the under-20 100 meters event, clocking 10.21 seconds. These performances position him as a promising candidate for a gold medal at the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane. Bolt himself holds world records in the 200 meters (19.19 seconds) and 100 meters (9.58 seconds).

In an interview with CNN, Bolt stated, "At that young age, because I was there, you start getting pulled left and right, and then you forget track and field. 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 Gout, the son of South Sudanese immigrants, is set to make his Diamond League debut in the 200 meters in Oslo on June 10, where he will compete in a strong field led by reigning Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana. His rapid rise gained global attention in December 2024 when he clocked 20.04 seconds at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships, breaking Peter Norman's national record of 20.06 seconds from the 1968 Olympics and becoming the fastest 16-year-old sprinter ever.

Source: www.aljazeera.com