Australian athletic sensation Gout Gout has been given a sobering warning from sprint king Michael Johnson.
The 16-year-old has made world sporting headlines recently after breaking the Australian 200m record - set by Peter Norman 56 years ago - at the Australian All School Championships last weekend.
Gout's time of 20.04 was also the second-fastest under-18 200m sprint of all time, ahead of Usain Bolt (20.13) but behind Erriyon Knighton (19.84).
The teenager's performance attracted the attention of Johnson, who won four Olympic gold medals and held world records in the 200m and 400m for 10-years plus.
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Johnson was surprised that Gout broke the record of one of his heroes, but had some wise words for the Australian talent to help reach his potential.
"Peter Norman was one of my heroes. Hard to believe no Australian had runner (sic) faster than 20.06 over the last 56 years!" Johnson posted on X.
Peter Norman was one of my heroes. Hard to believe no Australian had runner faster than 20.06 over the last 56 years! https://t.co/Z6bDTYpOA6
— Michael Johnson (@MJGold) December 9, 2024
"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."
Incredibly, if Gout posted his personal best time in the 200m final at the Paris 2024 Olympics, he would have finished sixth in the main event.
Gout also posted a 100m heat run of 10.04 at the Australian All Schools Championship that won't count for any records as it had the assistance of a +3.4m/s tail wind - with it being above the +2m/s limit.
In the 100m final, Gout ran a legal time of 10.17, with a +0.9m/s tail wind, which was the fifth fastest under 18 time in history and easily the best by an Australian junior, beating the old mark of 10.27.
