'It's scary': Crowd 'electric' as Aussie 16-year-old sprinter Gout Gout storms to national under-20 glory

Adelaide: As Australian teen sprinting sensation Gout Gout loaded into the blocks at the national athletics titles in Adelaide on Thursday evening, people watching from the stands, inside the track and a grassy slope looked on with bated breath.

Whether they'd seen the gangly 16-year-old hurtle down the track before these national championships, heard he'd already clocked 10.29 seconds for 100m and 20.69 for 200m, or heard a reliable judge liken him to a young Usain Bolt, those at SA Athletics Stadium were well aware of the freakish talent about to explode down the straight.

It took him a while to explode in this under-20 100m final, but with about 40 metres remaining he hit full flight and burst away to win, stopping the clock at 10.48.

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"When you think about it it's pretty crazy," a broadly smiling Gout told Wide World of Sports, speaking of winning a national under-20 title at the age of just 16.

"Very electric, everyone cheering my name," he said of the buzzing atmosphere.

If there's anything as synonymous with Gout as his loping, effervescent, powerful stride, or his beaming smile that bares big, pearly whites, it's how long he takes to stop after storming over the finish line.

In Adelaide on Thursday evening, the Ipswich product was like an aeroplane tearing along the tarmac as it gradually comes to a stop. A sprint turned into a jog and he eventually wound up close to the start line of the 1500m, a quarter of the way around the 400m track.

"You know how you're in a car and you let go of the accelerator and you get slower, slower, slower?" Gout said with a chuckle.

"That's just what my body's like."

The Australian men's under-18 record holder in the 100m dash, 18-year-old Sydney product Sebastian Sultana, is racing in the open division at the national titles, but Gout and his rivals ensured a show was put on in his absence.

Among the people engrossed in the race at SA Athletics Stadium was Gout's coach.

Diane Sheppard raved about her star pupil, admitting "it's scary" to think just how good he could become.

"He has an innate understanding of sprinting and it's amazing to think considering his age and that he's only had two to three years of training," Sheppard told Wide World of Sports.

"I'll say things and he knows exactly what I'm talking about ... like when I'm talking about foot placement or where his arms are.

"We don't fixate on his start. If he starts to mature a little bit more physically then it could be earlier than 18 that we look at that more.

"At the start of last week I looked at him and thought, 'Wow, you've gotten taller and bigger'."

The teen sensation will be back in action on Friday morning, ready to go for his 200m heat, before aiming to snare the double when he races the final on Saturday afternoon.

"It's scary [thinking about his potential], but we're focused on the journey," Sheppard said, "and the quicker times will come."

Teenager Isaac Beacroft was among Thursday's highlights, breaking the national under-20 men's 10,000m race walk record with a time of 40:44.47.

Another teen star in Cameron Myers also impressed, stylishly winning his heat of the men's 1500m to grab his ticket to Saturday afternoon's final.