'He is eclipsing them': Olympic gold medallist weighs in on Gout Gout-Usain Bolt comparisons

Olympic gold medallist Justin Gatlin has poured cold water over comparisons between Australian teenager Gout Gout and the legendary Usian Bolt.

The 16-year-old, who recently snapped up a silver medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships, appears destined for big things and is making waves overseas.

The electric Ipswich product broke Bolt's previous record time in the 200m event and many are now wondering whether Gout can continue that trajectory.

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Gout finished with a time of 20.60, beating Bolt's record by one hundredth of a second.

However, according to Gatlin, who won gold at Athens 2004 and was a major rival to Bolt during the Jamaican's ascent, it's time to cool the jets and let Gout run his own race.

"Looking at what Bolt did - and not taking anything away from Gout Gout or anybody else that's doing their thing right now and dominating," he told Ready Set Go podcast.

"When Bolt was a junior, he had the junior world record. If you put that against these guys today, he is eclipsing them. To say that this person is the next and that person is the next, I feel like we give the microphone to the bandwagoners.

"Stop putting these young athletes on a path that comes with a lot of stress and comes with a lot of pressure. Let them go out there and develop themselves."

Bolt remains the world record holder in both the 100m and 200m events, cementing himself as the fastest man of all-time.

Gatlin was one of the men chasing Bolt throughout his career, claiming bronze at London 2012 and silver at Rio 2016.