Usain Bolt has warned teenage sensation Gout Gout to remain focused on his goal of becoming a world-class sprinter. The 18-year-old recently set a new U20 world record at the Australian Athletics Junior Championships, winning the 200m title in 19.67 seconds.

The victory saw Gout set a new national record and bettered Bolt's quickest time as a teenager. He also secured the 100m title in Sydney but is set to face sterner tests in the coming months. Gout is scheduled to make his senior Diamond League debut in Oslo in June, where he will be up against 200m Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, as well as facing off against Noah Lyles at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet later that month. Despite the exciting step up in competition for Gout, legendary sprinter Bolt has warned what could happen if the prodigy becomes distracted by the growing attention.

"I think it's so big a transition [moving from juniors] and to have the right people to help to watch you because when you, at that young age - because I was there - you start getting pulled left and right and then you forget track and field," Bolt told CNN.

"So, hopefully, he has the right set of people who actually help to guide him and to keep him focused on track and field because the rest of the stuff will always be there. But if you mess up at track and field, then it all goes away."

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Bolt's words of wisdom come at a crucial time in the teenager's young career. Having dominated at junior levels, the eight-time Olympic gold medalist hopes Gout won't become discouraged by any early struggles in senior competitions.

"I know it's going to be an eye-opener," Bolt explained when discussing Gout's step up. "And I hope it doesn't get him down, but motivate him to work even harder."

The Australian made his World Championships debut in September 2025, reaching the semi-finals. The Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow this summer, but Gout appears set to compete at the World U20 Championships in Oregon.

The teenager has faced constant comparisons to Olympic icon Bolt during his short career. While that would potentially intimidate some young athletes, Gout embraces the situation.

"It's definitely inspiring, because to know that the rest of the world thinks and believes I'm looking like him and could potentially be him is something that can only fill me with confidence," Gout told the Daily Mail in December. "And to be compared to the greatest athlete I've ever seen technically is amazing.

"Hopefully, I can be up to their level and up to the point where we're being compared because of titles, records, gold medals and stuff like that. My ultimate dream is Olympic gold, hopefully in the 200m in Los Angeles in 2028 and then on to Brisbane in 2032. So it's pretty cool, for sure."