Australia excited as teen sprinter Gout makes world championships debut

Teen sprinter Gout Gout will make a much-anticipated world championships debut in Tokyo this month as he marks an early milestone in a career Australia hopes will peak with Olympic gold at Brisbane 2032.

Still only 17, Gout is already one of the most exciting prospects in global athletics, earning comparisons with Jamaican great Usain Bolt and training with Adidas stable-mate Noah Lyles in Florida.

All this while juggling homework and exams in his final year of high school in Ipswich, Queensland.

Gout is skipping school for a few days to run in the 200 meters at Tokyo, only his second senior race abroad.

His first, in June, saw him win the 200m at the Ostrava Golden Spike event in the Czech Republic in 20.02 seconds, improving on his Australia record.

While impressive for his age that time only puts him equal-20th in the season rankings, meaning he may need to raise the bar considerably to earn a spot in the world final.

Just doing that much would send Australia into another frenzy of excitement.

Unheard of outside athletics circles a year ago, the son of Sudanese immigrants has become the pin-up boy of Australian track and field, boosting ticket sales at domestic events and bringing in a new, youthful audience.

Fans flocked to a Victorian gold rush town on the Easter weekend to see Gout race in the Stawell Gift, a local handicap footrace on a grass track.

Gout failed to make the final of the 120m sprint but the crowd of 6,000 was double the usual attendance and organizers were thrilled.

WATCH | Gout runs sub-10 twice in the same day: 

Australian teen Gout Gout runs sub-10 100m twice in the same day

Gout's 200m run at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne in the previous month drew 10,000 to Lakeside Stadium, the