“He looks like a young me,” said Usain Bolt last year when asked about 16-year-old Gout Gout, who shattered a 56-year-old record of 20.06s set by Peter Norman at the 1968 Olympics. Gout clocked an astonishing 20.04 seconds in the 200m; he also nearly eclipsed Erriyon Knighton’s world-best for an under-18 athlete and pushing Bolt’s 20.13 to third on the all-time list. That single race turned Gout into a global sensation. Now, with back-to-back 9.99s at the national championships in Perth, he heads to the Tokyo World Championships with sky-high expectations. His coach believes he’ll gain even more advantage as he grows taller, but remains cautious, ensuring training doesn’t stunt his development.

At the end of last year, the 17-year-old athlete measured an impressive 180.3 cm. However, jus

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