But that’s where Gout unleashed his trademark burst of speed, storming home to grab the silver medal in a blistering personal best time of 20.6 seconds.

The son of South Sudanese parents, Gout was only beaten by South African Bayanda Walaza, who took gold in 20.52 seconds and is almost two years older than his Aussie competitor.

On a superb day for Australian athletics, with fellow sprint star Torrie Lewis also grabbing silver among six Aussie medals in one session, Gout’s name was the one on many people’s lips.

“I’m feeling really relieved after a long two weeks of being in Lima,” he said post-race.

“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 for tomorrow.”

Earlier this month, a video surfaced online of Gout running a 100m race at the Queensland Athletics Championships in March in a time of 10.29 seconds, breaking his own national under-16 record.

Gout roared away from the field in that 100m sprint, with his only obstacle seemingly finding a way to slow down after the finish line.

It led to some fans teasingly comparing Gout to Forrest Gump, but the figure Gout is more regularly being likened to is Usain Bolt.

Athletics Australia president and Olympian Jane Flemming was among the figures to make the Bolt comparison earlier this year and to his credit, Gout didn’t shy away from it.

“It’s pretty cool because Usain Bolt is arguably the greatest athlete of all time and just being compared to him is a great feeling,” Gout said at the national championships in April.

When asked on Saturday about going viral for his earlier heat run, Gout had a refreshing approach to dealing with the commotion.

“Especially at the championships, I just turn my phone off, go in my private account and just scroll mindlessly on games, YouTube and TikTok in general,” he said.

“And honestly I try not to read comments as comments can get in your head sometimes and I just try to stay really relaxed.”

Lewis, 19, who reached the 200m semi-finals at the Paris Olympics, set a new personal best of 22.88 seconds in claiming silver in the event in Lima.

Adaejah Hodge, an 18-year-old from the British Virgin Islands, claimed gold in 22.74.

Lewis was thrilled with the way she likely bade farewell to her junior athletics career.

“I’m just so glad I came away with a PB. It’s all I wanted and there is nothing better I could have done,” she said.

“To finally finish off my junior career — this will probably be my last race running as a junior specifically in an individual event.

“I’ve never been on a podium of this magnitude and this is the first time having a flag around myself.”

Elsewhere, Olympic semi-finalists Claudia Hollingsworth and Peyton Craig nabbed silver medals in the women’s and men’s 800m respectively.

Delta Amidzovski capped off a terrific week by adding 100m hurdles bronze to her earlier long jump gold medal and 15-year-old Mason McGroder, Australia’s youngest team member, claimed bronze in the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.80m.

It all adds up to superb signs for the future of Australian athletics.

Many eyes are going to be on Gout as he progresses, with the teen focusing on either next year’s open world championships in Tokyo or the 2026 under-20 edition in Eugene, Oregon as his next major event.

He is also keen to remain grounded and not let the attention get to his head.

“My team is great, they really help me stay grounded and focused on what I need to focus on,” he said.

“My family, my mum and dad, always telling me to focus on my dreams and don’t let anyone tell me what to do.

“My friends, here and at school, they’re always helping me and just Australia in general.”