The Australian sprinter broken Usain Bolt’s U18 200m record and has his sights set on more success
Gout Gout is using his passion for psychology to push himself to become the greatest sprinter in Olympic history. The teenager has his sights firmly set on the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
The Australian sprinter has taken the athletics world by storm in recent years, smashing Usain Bolt’s U18 200m record by clocking 20.04 seconds – bettering the Jamaican legend’s attempt of 20.13s. Hailed as the heir to Bolt’s throne, Gout also beat Peter Norman’s 56-year-old Australian U18 200m record in 2024.
The 17-year-old recognises his rising success in the sport and has revealed his unique approach to handling the mounting expectations.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Gout revealed how his academic interest in psychology has proved invaluable throughout his athletics journey. He said: “Why do I love psychology?
“Part of it was I felt I could help myself in my sport. I’m interested in the way our minds interact with our body and our attitudes and our behaviours and how different stuff you do changes how we think.
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“I’m all professional, of course, and I am seeing a psychologist, but learning about it in school definitely helps with pressure and anxiety and just trying to… track and field is a very lonely sport, so it helps with your mental side and how to prepare for races, how to handle yourself.”
Maintaining normality at school has also been crucial for the teenager. He added: “In school, I was just a normal kid. Six periods and two lunch breaks.
“Psychology and maths are my favourite subjects. And accounting, surprisingly. But I was committed. I was pretty much a straight-A student. It’s always something you can fall back on regardless of what you do.
“It was normalising, too. I liked that about it. You can put aside track and field or whatever you do, just focus on studies like everyone else. It makes you feel normal, in a way. Occasionally, the little kids might treat me different but with my friend crew, I was just another one of the guys.”
Gout is setting his sights on smashing records and making history at the LA 2028 games. He might even draw inspiration from his other favourite sport – football – for some of the biggest success stories.
The teenager, a die-hard Manchester City supporter, expressed his passion for the beautiful game. He said: “If there was one sporting event I could go to, it would be the World Cup final.
“I stayed up into the wee hours to watch the 2022 final between Argentina and France. When Kylian Mbappe sparked that comeback and it went to penalties, I was yelling and cheering. I think I woke the whole house up.”