In athletics, this is the shot heard around the world.

Schoolboy sensation Gout Gout’s feat in breaking the 56-year-old Australian 200m record, and running faster at the same age than the greatest sprinter in history, Usain Bolt, has created shockwaves across the sporting globe in the last 48 hours.

Gout’s astonishing 20.04sec run at the Australian All Schools Championships was reported as far afield as CNN, the BBC and French sports newspaper L’Equipe.

The news even made it to Bolt himself, who remarked on social media: “He looks like young me.’’

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This is heady stuff for a 16-year-old from Ipswich Queensland who is just finishing Year 11, but those around Gout are doing their utmost to make sure his flying feet stay on the ground despite the whirlwind that has engulfed him in the last three days.

His manager James Templeton, an experienced agent who guided the career of Kenyan 800m legend David Rudisha, is adamant that nothing will change in the teenager’s daily life in the short term. Everything in his diary for the next few months will remain the same.

He will do a long-planned meet and greet with his sponsor adidas in Melbourne this week, and he will travel to Florida in January with his coach Di Sheppard and Templeton for a two-week training camp alongside Olympic and world 100m champion Noah Lyles and his coach Lance Brauman, arranged through adidas.

By February, Gout will be back at school at Ipswich Grammar to complete Year 12, with a strategic selection of competition outings built into his schedule, including the Queensland Championships and the Maurie Plant meet in March and the Australian Championships in Adelaide in April.

The only new addition is the World Athletics Championships next September, as he has now qualified to take on the world’s best sprinters in Tokyo.

“Di and I are pretty good at saying no to the distractions and we will continue to do that,’’ Templeton said.

“I don’t mind saying no because we are already on the best path. Why would we want him to be over-exposed? It’s not going to be to his advantage. We are just protecting him and we will continue to protect him and allow him to develop at his own pace.’’

That’s music to the ears of Australia’s athletics fraternity, who can’t hide their excitement at his talent but want him to avoid the pitfalls that can come with sudden fame.

Australia’s most recent Olympic track champion Sally Pearson has already reached out to Gout to offer him support, advising him: “Just stay focussed on performing and you will be alright – and enjoy the ride.’’

“The thing he has going for him on the athletics side is that he has the personality to embrace the spotlight,’’ Pearson told foxsports.com.au. “When you are going to be a male sprinter you need that and he seems to have it.’’

“He’s got a support network that is embracing his talent but not overdoing it. I think he’s doing all the right things, so it’s just a matter of keeping doing what you are doing. It’s a hard one, because he’s so young that you don’t want to push him, but you do want him to enjoy the moment.

“If you like the big stage, and the crowd and people talking about you, and I think he does, that makes it easier. When he gets to the age when he can really shine, it’s going to be incredible. I hope he just goes and flies, because we haven’t had someone like this in Australia before.’’

Not in athletics, but Gout is also drawing comparison with a young Ian Thorpe preparing to become the hero of a home Olympic Games. In Thorpe’s case it was Sydney in 2000. In Gout’s, it is Brisbane in 2032.

Thorpe’s long-time manager David Flaskas can see the similarities and has been watching Gout’s emergence with interest.

“He seems to be surrounded by good people,’’ Flaskas said.

“The main thing is his welfare. If they continue to focus on his wellbeing and his athletic performance, then the commercial stuff will follow. The things being said about him are flattering, but they are also scary, and all of that needs to be managed because there are a lot of opportunists out there.’’

“The public does get fascinated by young athletes. The country needs to get behind him but not have too many expectations of him. As Thorpey says, public support is when you feel everyone behind you. Pressure is when you feel everyone in front of you.”

Athletics Australia president Jane Flemming said her organisation would also be on hand to provide support to Gout and Sheppard as needed.

“I believe in slow and steady on this,’’ Flemming said.

“I hope he’s going to hang out at the beach with his mates now – the people who knew him before he became famous.

“Teenaged stars can miss a lot of rites of passage but those things help them to stay balanced. I hope everyone around him will take a long-term view.’’