Prodigy is a dangerous label to slap on anyone.

The brevity of that short, seven-letter word belies its hidden weight. Of expectation. Even hope.

It’s not really fair to burden a teenager, however obviously talented, with such a moniker.

But sport is not fair. And Gout Gout has more than earned it.

The 16-year-old Queenslander is already an online sensation.

His viral 10.29-second 100m at the Queensland Athletics Championships in March gained new life online after the Paris 2024 Olympics.

It wasn’t just that Gout crossed the finish line a solid 7 metres ahead of his nearest challenger — or even his wildly impressive time.

No. It was also the form shown on that grainy, wobbly footage that had most people sit up and take notice.

The tall, lithe teenager didn’t have the greatest of starts, but by the 30-metre mark, it was clear he was a cut above the rest.

A fluid, long stride, a high knee lift and upright posture that barely tremors as he powers down the track are hallmarks of a champion.

The lazy comparison is with Usain Bolt.

But for him to simply dream of being “the next” Usain Bolt is arguably just as dozy.

Champions don’t dream of being someone else.

“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 in April at the National Championships in Adelaide.

It’s safe to say that Gout has achieved that already.

Gout’s performances in the World Athletics Under 20 Championships in Lima, Peru over the past week have everyone standing up and taking notice.

“This is my first, like, big meet,” Gout said before the championships.

“I’m just looking forward to the experience, getting out there, running against fast people, seeing what I can do on the world stage.”

In Lima, Gout was one of only 10 entrants in the 74-strong 200m field to be born in 2007.

He beat them all, finishing second only to 100m champion Bayanda Walaza in a personal best and Australian under 18 record time of 20.60.

Again, the manner of the way he ran himself into the medals was astonishing.

A poor start saw the Queenslander exit the bend towards the back of the field.

But then, with 60 or so metres remaining, on went the afterburners, the stride opened up and Gout Gout showed the power that had internet experts drooling over their devices.

The teenager tore down the straight, powering home to come within 0.08 seconds of victory.

Had this been a 210-metre race, he would have won.

Only four athletes in history have run faster than Gout did in Lima, at a younger age, into a headwind according to internet statistician athsStats: Paris Olympic semifinalists Abdul Hakim Sani Brown and Puripol Boonson, American Roderick Pleasant, and Bolt.

Gout also competed in the 4x100m relay at the end of competition but could not chase down a medal as Australia finished in fifth spot.

Prodigies are, by their very definition, gifts.

But judging by the Under 20s Championships, Australian athletics is brimming with presents that appear primed to be opened in Brisbane in eight years’ time.

Touted as one of the strongest teams Australia has ever sent to a Junior World Championships, the 67-strong team featured five athletes who came straight from the Paris Olympics.

By winning 14 medals (two gold, seven silver and five bronze), the team completed their most successful ever Junior World Championships.

A prodigious haul from a prodigious group.

On the same day that Gout won his silver, fellow 200m sprinter Torrie Lewis also claimed second place, as did 800m runners Claudia Hollingsworth and Peyton Craig — all three of whom made the semifinals of their events at the Olympics.

Then there’s Delta Amidzovski, who won bronze in the 100m hurdles and a gold in the long jump — just the third Australian woman to ever win an individual title after Dani Stephens (discus, 2006) and Jana Pittman (400m hurdles and flat, 2000).

“I don’t think it will sink in for a while,” Amidzovski told Athletics Australia.

“Maybe when I get back to the hotel and it’s all over, I can just lay in bed and think about what I did. Definitely, on the inside, I’m feeling really proud of myself and my team.”

There were, in fact, a plethora of silver medals for Aussies over the five days of competition.

Cameron Myers (1,500m), Izobelle Louison-Roe (high jump) and the women’s 4x400m relay team all added their names to the list of second-place finishers.

And how about 15-year-old (yes, you read that right) Mason McGroder, who won bronze in the men’s long jump competition to become the youngest-ever Australian World Under 20 medallist?

Tryphena Hewett (pole vault) and Marley Raikiwasa (discus) also both won bronze medals, as did the men’s 4x400m relay.

Australia also had success in the mixed 4x400m relay team, winning gold on the opening day of competition.

But it’s not even just the medal winners.

Mia Scerri claimed fourth in the heptathlon, Jessica Milat the same in the 200m, while Aleksandra Stoilova became just the second Australian woman to contest the 100m final at the World Under 20 Championships after Sally Pearson in 2004.

In Paris, Australian athletes enjoyed their most successful Olympics since 1956, winning seven medals (one gold, two silver and four bronze).

And if this performance shows anything, the future is in very good hands as Australia looks ahead to LA in 2028, and Brisbane in 2032.