Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles said on Saturday that he had been energised by Gout Gout’s “youthful spirit” and was looking forward to racing the Australian teen over 150m next month.
Lyles and 18-year-old sprint sensation Gout are set to go head-to-head for the first time in the Czech Republic on June 16, and the pair recently trained together in the United States.
Gout has set the athletics world alight and won the 200m at the Australian championships last month in 19.67 sec, faster than Usain Bolt at the same age.
Lyles, who will run his first 100m of the season in Tokyo on Sunday, said Gout was “a really good kid”.
“I’m just teaching as much as I can in two weeks,” said the American.
“He absorbs a lot of information and he wants to be the best. He’s eager and that’s really good to see, and it’s really fun to see that youthful spirit again.”
Lyles said he was “excited” for the race over the unconventional distance, which will be run on a regular 400m track.
“I’m pretty eager,” he said.
“I’ve run really good 150s in practice, so I think it’s going to be really fast.”
Lyles is in Tokyo for the Golden Grand Prix, where he will race on the track where he took 100m bronze, behind Jamaican pair Oblique Seville and Kishane Thompson, at last year’s world championships.
Lyles won 200m gold to match Usain Bolt’s record of four world titles at the distance.
Lyles does not get a bye to Sunday’s final and he said he wants to put on a “good show” for the fans.
“We’re going to have two rounds tomorrow so I’m really excited about that because the more rounds, the faster I get,” he said.
“I’d say by the time I leave tomorrow, I want to have my fastest season opener.”
Published on May 16, 2026