How Gout Gout stacks up against Usain Bolt in 200 meters

Last month, 18-year-old Australian sprinting sensation Gout Gout set up on the blocks of a sky-blue lane in Sydney for the final 200m event of the day.

And then he made history: the teen thundered down the straightaway at a top speed of nearly 25 mph, gliding through the last 100 meters with massive strides, becoming the fastest teenager in the world for that event with a time of 19.67 seconds.

"He's compared inevitably to Usain Bolt, the GOAT of sprinting. Why? Because if you compare their teenage times, Gout Gout is actually faster than Usain Bolt was," correspondent Jon Wertheim told 60 Minutes Overtime.

But Bolt, the eight-time Olympic gold medalist from Jamaica, is still the fastest adult in the 200 today. His world record of 19.19 seconds still stands almost 17 years after he set it at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany. 

Wertheim says it is easy to see how Gout could beat Bolt's record. "If you break down Gout Gout's record time for under-20 versus Usain Bolt's record time for all time, you really get a sense of where Gout can make up that time," he said. 

According to data provided by biomechanics expert and movement scientist Dr. Dylan Hicks, Gout is much slower than Bolt off the blocks, or from the start of the race to the 100 meter mark, trailing behind him at 10.43 seconds, compared to his 9.92.

From 100 meters to the 150-meter mark, exiting the curve onto the straightaway of the track, Gout starts to close that gap. He clocked in at 4.57 seconds for that segment of the U20 world record, closer to Bolt's 4.52 time.

Then, in the final 50 meters, Gout jets away, reaching a top speed of about 25 mph in the final stretch, running the last segment faster than Bolt did for his world record.

"At just 18 years-old, Gout actually ran faster than Bolt in the final 50 meters, the data clocking him at 4.67 seconds compared to Bolt's 4.75 seconds," Wertheim told 60 Minutes Overtime. 

"What does that say? If Gout Gout can improve his time off the blocks, his reaction time, his start, the second half of the race he's got it."

Hicks told Wertheim in a 60 Minutes interview that what sets Gout apart from other athletes is  his "speed endurance," or his ability to maintain peak velocity, during the last 50 meters of the race. 

"He's approaching Usain Bolt-type speeds… in that final section," he said. "And I guess the key thing for Gout is he's been able to maintain it for a longer period of time… his competitors start to drop off."

But Hicks said the "obvious" change Gout, his coach, and his team can make to catch up to other top-performing sprinters is to improve his start. 

"He's obviously giving up maybe one to two tenths compared to… his competitors who are gonna be on the podium like Noah Lyles," he told Wertheim.

Lyles, the Olympic medal winning American, currently holds a 200m personal best of 19.31 seconds — .36 seconds faster than Gout's, and .12 behind Bolt's world record. 

Coach Di Sheppard was, and still is, an athletics coach at Ipswich Grammar School, where Gout started in track. She remains his coach to this day. 

In an interview she told Wertheim that getting out off the blocks faster is critical, but Gout's young age is still a factor and he will need to grow into and develop his explosive speed.

"You just increase the intensity as his body matures… he will just naturally start to go quicker as the body develops, brain develops, everything ties in," she told Wertheim. 

"Our biggest and weakest thing is his starts, but that's a physical thing… he doesn't have full control of the limbs, they're not fully synced yet."

Bolt has said that he thinks Gout looks like a younger version of himself on the track. Gout told Wertheim hearing that inspired him to keep advancing in the sport. 

"I can continue the trajectory to where he did as well. You know, like, I can become big like him, you know? And I guess that gives you the confidence to keep moving forward," he told Wertheim. 

Still, Gout isn't going to get ahead of himself. "You don't want to overload too much when you're a teenager 'cause then that messes up the rest of your career… you've got all the time in the world."

The video above was produced by Will Croxton. It was edited by Nelson Ryland.