27-05-2025
Aussie sprint sensation Gout Gout has been compared to Usain Bolt, but first he had to take part in a very important teenage milestone
Australia's teenage sprinting phenom Gout Gout is used to the roar of stadiums and the flash of finish-line cameras and sometimes it can be easy to forget he is still a schoolboy.
But this month, the 17-year-old track star swapped his racing spikes for polished black shoes and a sharp suit.
Gout, who attends Ipswich Grammar School, marked a major rite of passage by attending his Year 12 formal in Brisbane.
He arrived in unforgettable style at Victoria Park in a stretch pink Hummer.
Two weeks later, Gout posted a photo carousel from the big night on Instagram, and it quickly drew widespread attention.
Wearing a fitted black suit with a dark-red paisley tie and matching boutonniere, the sprinter looked every bit the star.
He was joined by his formal date Asha, who wore a red strapless gown with a matching corsage.
The couple posed for playful snaps, looking co-ordinated and confident as friends and fans cheered them on.
'I step light, but my presence heavy,' Gout captioned the post - a nod to both his lightning speed and growing public profile.
Classmates flooded the comments with fire and heart emojis.
One called it the 'hard launch we've all been waiting for,' referencing his previously private personal life.
Another simply wrote 'Double G live in the flesh.'
Among the likes were NRL stars Sam Walker and Ezra Mam, and Olympic runner Peter Bol.
Gout's journey from formal to finish line has been anything but typical.
Born in December 2007 in Ipswich, Queensland, he is the son of South Sudanese parents who migrated to Australia before his birth.
Initially drawn to soccer, Gout discovered sprinting in his early teens and never looked back. By 15, he had broken the Australian under-18 200m record.
Then came a national headline: 200m in 20.04 seconds, a new Oceanian and Australian record. In April this year, he ran a wind-assisted 9.99 seconds in the 100m, drawing comparisons to Usain Bolt.
Now coached by Diane Sheppard, Gout has signed a professional deal with Adidas.
While the formal was a personal milestone, his next chapter will unfold on a global stage.
He will make his senior debut for Australia at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. The teenager will face world-class athletes in Monaco and Ostrava in the lead-up to that debut.
Those Diamond League meets are part of his preparation and experience-building phase.
Gout has already tested himself on the national stage, reaching the semi-finals at the Stawell Gift in April.
Despite the global buzz, he's still juggling schoolwork and sprint drills back home in Ipswich. He continues to study while dreaming big - of Brisbane 2032.
Gout hopes to claim double Olympic gold on home soil in the 100m and 200m.
