Gout Gout has been labelled ‘soft’ by American sprint rival Noah Williams after the Aussie phenom elected to run in an Under-23 event in his Diamond League debut instead of the open category.

The 17-year-old sprint sensation will compete in the Under-23 200m event only in his Diamond League debut in Monaco on July 11, resisting the temptation to compete in the open category alongside the stars of the sport or in the 100m event.

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But his decision to again not compete in the open category at the upcoming Diamond League meet has angered US athlete Williams, who says he is sick of hearing about Gout ‘ducking’ the best sprinters in the world.

“That’s (the decision to not run in the open event at the Diamond League) really, really just soft,” Williams said on the Track World News podcast this week.

“The kid is super talented, but that’s beside the point … the narrative now is he’s ducking these professional races.”

Gout has taken Australian sprinting by storm over the past 18 months, dropping some ridiculous times on the track and drawing regular comparisons to Jamaican legend Usain Bolt.

But despite becoming a global sensation largely as a result of some sizzling 100m times around the elusive 10-second mark, Gout’s preferred event is the 200m and he will opt to focus solely on that at the upcoming international meet.

Gout Gout has been labelled ‘soft’ by a rival. Image: Getty

The theory behind that decision is Gout’s team is focused on not putting too much on the plate of the teen as he continues to develop and grow as an athlete and a man.

With such a one-of-a-kind talent on their hands, the last thing Gout’s team want is for him to suffer a serious injury or put him in a position where he may feel he needs to prove himself against the best sprinters in the world and overdo it.

So as a result Gout is yet to compete in the 100m sprint at open level, opting to instead just run in age categories.

He also was held back from competing in the 4×100 relay at the World Athletics Relays event last week.

Noah Williams has labelled Gout Gout ‘soft’. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images for World Athletics)

Gout Gout’s plan to reach heights of Usain Bolt

Gout has broken a string of junior marks and dropped a stunning 20.04 seconds at December’s Australian All Schools Championship, breaking the national 200m record held by Peter Norman since 1968.

And while he recently conceded his regular Usain Bolt comparison “gets tiring”, he immediately invoked the name of the eight-time Olympic gold medallist – who holds both the 100m (9.58s) and 200m (19.19s) world records – in a recent interview with Foxtel’s The Back Page.

“I think the limit is just obviously winning Olympics and winning world championships and honestly dominating like Bolt did,” he declared.

“I think that limit is reachable for me.”

With sprinters typically reaching their peak in their late 20s, many have tipped Gout to star in his home Olympic Games in Brisbane in 2032.

But the confident youngster is already eyeing off the Los Angeles Games in just three years’ time.

“The times I’ve run so far could potentially make it into finals, make the top four, top five, top six,” he said.

“Just getting better and aiming for LA obviously would be a great achievement and trying to be on that podium running against (Olympic 200m gold medallist Letsile) Tebogo, Noah (Lyles), (Lachlan) Kennedy, all them athletes.

“That’s definitely a goal in mind and keep aiming for the top.”