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Seventeen-year-old track and field phenom Gout Gout has been making waves ever since he broke onto the professional scene. The reason was simply inevitable. How can you not pay attention to someone who’s called “Faster than Usain Bolt”? The Australian sprinter sent shockwaves just a while ago. Especially after turning heads with his 200m dash in 20.04 seconds. With that, he became the fastest sprinter in Oceania history. What’s more? Gout’s new benchmark surpassed Bolt’s under-18 milestone of 20.13 seconds. Simply put, he’s already gone past the greatest of all time, even before turning 18.

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Not to mention his record-setting performance in April 2025, which saw him break the Australian national record with a mesmerizing quick time of 19.84 seconds (+2.2 m/s wind). Result? The teenager left behind Peter Norman’s 57-year-old record of 20.06 seconds in the dust. While Gout is garnering inevitable attention at an early age, he’s obviously compelled track and field enthusiasts to take notice of him. As a result, everyone’s curious to know more about this future prodigy and Bolt’s potential heir. Especially when it comes to his family background and cultural roots.

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What is the ethnicity of Gout Gout? Everything to know

Gout Gout was born in 2007 in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. His family roots, however, are connected to South Sudan. That’s because of his parents, Monica and Bona Gout. He’s one of their seven children. Monica and Bona originally hail from South Sudan, but in 2005, they migrated to Australia. So when it comes to ethnicity, one can say Gout is of black African South Sudanese descent while being Australian.

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Is he of dual nationality? Diving deeper into his national allegiance

No. Gout Gout doesn’t have dual nationality. Although his parents are from South Sudan, they have been residing in Australia for nearly two decades now, where he was born as well. Simply put, the 17-year-0ld is Australian with South Sudanese heritage.

Speaking more of his Australian nationality, he’s set to make his senior debut for the country at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. Since he was noticed by his school’s coach

Diane Sheppard, who took him under her wings, the young star has only witnessed an escalation in his career as well as sprinting speed.
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Is Gout Gout Christian? Know more about the sprinter’s faith

At the moment, there are no clear, official details available on whether Gout Gout is of the Christian faith. Although he’s from South Sudan – where the majority of the population practices Islam – the same can’t be said about him or his family due to a lack of substantial information.

What’s next for Gout Gout?

Speaking of what’s next for him, Gout Gout will soon be seen competing at the World Athletics Championships. Thanks to his record-setting season in the last few months, the selectors have zeroed in on him, along with other established national stars like Joshua Azzopardi, Rohan Browning, Calab Law, and Aidan Murphy, for the upcoming event. It will take place from September 13 to 21 in Tokyo.

Undoubtedly, the teenager is determined to perform and prove himself on the biggest stages. He’s already got a vision ready. “The limit is winning the Olympics and winning the world championships and, honestly, dominating like Usain Bolt did. I think that limit is reachable for me,” reported the Olympics website back in May. But does he really think about being the next Bolt?

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According to the rising phenom, “I’m trying to be the next Gout Gout. Being compared to Usain Bolt, everyone wants to be the next star,” he told Noah Lyles on his podcast Beyond The Records earlier in 2025. The youngster has only got respect for the former sprinting icon.

He added, “Usain Bolt is the best sprinter and best athlete. To be compared to him is obviously great, but I’m Gout Gout and I want to make my name as big as his.” Putting confidence in his own potential, instead, he concluded, “I want people younger to be ‘you’re going to be the next Gout Gout’. I want to be like that.”

That’s quite a bold statement, isn’t it? Well, it will be intriguing to see how the 17-year-old’s career shapes up moving forward. Will he actually succeed in inspiring future kids to be the “next Gout Gout”? Only time will tell.

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Is Gout Gout the next Usain Bolt, or will he carve his own legendary path?

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