Legendary caller Bruce McAvaney says Gout Gout is truly one of a kind

Legendary caller Bruce McAvaney says teen sensation Gout Gout is doing things “we thought might be impossible”.

Appearing on Channel 7’s Sunrise to discuss the country’s next global superstar, McAvaney was asked a simple question by Sunrise host and former Australian sprinter Matt Shirvington.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Pressure builds on sprint sensation Gout Gout.

“Now, with utmost respect, you have been around for a long, long time, have you ever seen anything like Gout?” Shirvington asked McAvaney.

McAvaney did not even have to think about his response.

“No Australian like him, that’s for sure,” McAvaney said on Sunrise.

Suddenly remembering he was talking to a former Aussie sprinter, McAvaney quickly buttered up to Shirvo.

“You were very good, by the way,” he said.

“But no Australian like him.

“It’s taking us to a place we didn’t expect to see. He’s doing what we thought might be impossible.

“We’re all very, very excited about what the future might bring.”

Sunrise host Nat Barr said she was concerned about the pressure that was slowly building on the 17-year-old, who recently broke all sorts of records in the 200m with a staggering time of 19.98 seconds (wind assisted).

The mark was the sixth-fastest time by an under-20 athlete in history, putting him in the same frame as world record holder Usain Bolt who ran 19.93 as a teenager.

“When we do the build-up like this, Bruce, I get a little bit worried about the pressure in the lead-up. You’ve also spoken to Cathy Freeman about that. What did she say?” Barr asked McAvaney.

McAvaney said you had to embrace the pressure.

“That’s what Cathy did. She rose to the occasion. She wasn’t intimidated by the occasion. She carried a nation on her back.

“And she had that really for four years, from the moment she ran so well in Atlanta in 1996. Look, who knows?

“We don’t know how Gout’s going to be at 21 or 25 years of age, but all we know is we’ve had nothing like him so far.

“Matt, you’ve met him. He’s poised. He’s highly motivated. Highly, I guess, respected in terms of the people that he’s running against, the people that are around him.

“He’s just got a really good attitude. So at the moment, it’s all guns blazing.”

Shirvington revealed that McAvaney had previously spoken to him about Gout’s “aura”.

“He’s just a lovely human being. He’s also very driven. He wants be to be the world’s fastest human. Achievable?” Shrivington asked.

McAvaney: “It is. But God, it’s hard, though. Those records have stood now since 2009 by arguably the greatest runner we’ve ever seen in Usain Bolt. They are so, so difficult. He’s certainly on the way.

“But that world record of Usain Bolt both in the 100 and 200 is remarkable. But he is doing what Bolt did at the same age.

“You’re right about his attitude, Shirvo. It’s like, ‘I know I’m very, very good but I also have my feet completely on the ground’.

“He is a big dreamer, incredibly motivated. I think he has every chance to be probably the best athlete Australia has produced in terms of a male sprinter by a long way, and maybe one of the greatest athletes full-stop we’ve ever seen.”

McAvaney said there were so many reason people should get around Gout.

“It’s his back-story. The fact he still wears his blazer to school. He is in Year 12. He is a great student. He has a wonderful family. He is one of seven children. It’s a wonderful narrative. It’s the complete package,” he said.

“You’ve gotta love the boy who is, I guess, becoming a man, as a student, as a son, a brother, but also, as an athlete. So that’s what it’s all about.”

In a special event this Sunday, the inspiring story of Gout Gout will feature on 7NEWS Spotlight immediately after Australian Idol on Seven and 7plus.

7NEWS Spotlight special event: Gout Gout

Sunday, March 23 after Australian Idol on Seven and 7plus