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An Australian sprinting sensation has just eclipsed a record previously held by Olympic legend Usain Bolt.

At the recent U20 World Championships in Peru, 16-year-old Gout Gout clinched a silver medal with an impressive 200m dash time of 20.60 seconds, shaving a hair off Bolt’s 2002 record in the same category when he was nearly 16, which stood at 20.61 seconds in the final, despite Bolt’s faster 20.58 in the earlier round.

Two decades on from Bolt’s achievement, it was South African Bayanda Walaza, 18, who grabbed the gold with a swift 20.54 seconds, leaving Britain’s Jake Odey-Jordan to settle for bronze at 20.81 seconds. Brisbane-born Gout, whose heritage traces back to South Sudan, expressed his relief and readiness to rest after the demanding event in Lima.

He said: “I’m feeling really relieved after a long two weeks of being in Lima. “I’ve been training, grinding and just waiting patiently for this race to happen. Now that it’s done, I’m really glad and ready to get in my bed and rest up for the (4x100m) relay.”

Gout’s remarkable performance has drawn parallels to the iconic Bolt, with even Athletics Australia president Jane Flemming noting the resemblance. The young star humbly acknowledged the comparison as “pretty cool”.

Earlier in the year, another record of Bolt’s fell when Jamaican prodigy Nickecoy Bramwell broke the under-17 400m world record at the Carifta Games in Grenada, posting a time of 47.26 seconds, surpassing Bolt’s 22 year old record by 0.07 seconds. SOURCE- THE MIRROR