Gout Gout has avoided the big guns of world sprinting in his much-anticipated senior global championships debut in Tokyo.
With the eyes of the track and field world upon him, the 17-year-old will run in the fifth of six 200m world championships heats on Wednesday, with the top three in each race and the next six fastest going through to the semis the following day.
There's nothing to suggest the occasion will get the better of the remarkably composed schoolboy superstar - and the task doesn't look hugely onerous on paper either.
Makanakaishe Charamba of Zimbabwe and Jamaican Bryan Levell have both run sub-20 seconds this year, something Gout has yet to manage, except when aided by an illegal tailwind.
But the duo are far from household names, unlike multiple world and Olympic gold medallist Noah Lyles, fellow American Kenny Bednarek and reigning world champ Letsile Tebogo from Botswana, who have all been drawn in other heats.
Gout's junior feats stack up against even those of the legendary Usain Bolt, who has cautioned him that translating teenage talent into major global titles is a tough process.
It's a lesson not lost on the Australian, who's the youngest runner in the men's 200m field in Tokyo.
“Usain Bolt is literally the greatest track athlete we have ever seen, the greatest athlete we have ever seen, so it feels great to have someone of that calibre knowing me and knowing I am on that path to greatness as well,” Gout said in Tokyo.
“Balancing that ambition and telling myself it takes time is definitely something important.
"I struggled a bit during the start a couple of years ago, but now I know that things don’t happen overnight.
“I’m only 17, these guys have 10, maybe 15 years on me, so I definitely tell myself that my time will come.”
Even so, it will be a major shock if Gout doesn't advance from the opening round, after which he can realistically target a spot in Friday's final.
But first things first in the heats, where it would not surprise if Gout bettered his own national record of 20.02 seconds and became the first Australian to smash the 20-second barrier for the half-lap sprint.
"That's something I think about all the time," he said.
"Being able to run under 20 seconds is a great achievement.
"When you get under that 20 seconds you know that you can achieve more because running 19 seconds, you know you're up there in the top 15 or 20 in the world."
