Usain Bolt record smashed by 16-year-old Australian sprinting sensation

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.

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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.

While Bramwell shines in longer distances, Gout appears to be a strong challenger for Bolt's age-group records in the 100m and 200m. It will be intriguing to see if Bramwell and Gout can break any more of the Olympic icon's youth records.

Gout and Bramwell's youth-age achievements compare favorably with Bolt's. Gout's personal best in the 200m is the aforementioned 20.60, while his top time in the 100m is an impressive 10.29. In the 400m, Gout's personal best is 49.01.

As for Bramwell, the 400m is clearly his main event, with a best time of 46.75. In the 200m, it is 21.45 while the 16-year-old's personal best is just under 11 seconds at 10.94 in the 100m.

In 2003, Bolt set a championship record of 20.40 in the 200m at the World Youth Championships, a milestone that should be within Gout's reach. Bolt quickly transitioned his youth performances to the senior stage, turning professional in 2004.

He initially faced disappointment as he was plagued by injury at the 2004 Olympics and 2005 World Championships before securing silver in the 200m at the 2007 Worlds. This was followed by his sensational sprint double gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.