Brit sprinter is quicker than Usain Bolt and plans to beat Gout Gout at Olympics

Step aside, Gout Gout. A British sprint sensation has laid down the gauntlet to become the next Usain Bolt after demolishing one of the legendary sprinter's records.

Australian wonderkid Gout had been obliterating junior sprint marks before competing at the recent senior World Athletic Championships at just 17,prompting widespread comparisons to the Jamaican icon.

But Divine Iheme, who is two years Gout's junior, has been creating his own ripples in the sport. Last year, the Oxford-born speedster recorded a breathtaking 10.30 seconds over 100m. For perspective, both Bolt and Gout's best times at that age stood at 10.57, while Olympic champion Noah Lyles was a full second adrift.

At the same age in the 200m, Iheme clocked 21.63. Once more, that stacked up impressively against Bolt, whose personal best at that stage was 21.81.

Earlier this year, Iheme, dubbed 'Lightning', shattered the indoor 60m record for 15 year olds with 6.71, eclipsing the previous benchmark established by America's J-Mee Samuels in 2002.

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Considering his remarkable development over the past year, it's hardly shocking that Iheme is already dreaming about success at the Olympics, where he could go head to head with Gout.

He told the BBC in July: "I can see myself with an Olympic title to my name in the 100 and the 200, and hopefully it will happen."

The offspring of two Nigerian former international sprinters, Innocent and Nkiruka, his mother sensed he would become a sprinter even before his arrival into the world. Nkiruka, who also serves as his coach, said: "I knew when he was in my tummy. When I was pregnant, he kept on kicking.

"I am an athlete, his dad and my dad [were athletes]. When he entered primary school, that's when we finally said, 'Yes, we got a talent here we have to nurture.'"

Nkiruka, who served a decade in the British Army, doesn't hesitate to establish firm boundaries regarding his schoolwork, though. She told the Telegraph earlier this year: "He loves running so, so much.

"He doesn't want to miss his training so, if he doesn't do his homework, it's 'no training.' The language we use is, 'no pain, no gain' or 'pay now, play later.' Some children are just in the house playing games."

Divine, who began sprinting aged 12, has consistently favoured the shorter distances, confessing: "I hated the 600m, I remember crying [at school]."

Regarding his commitment to athletics, he explained: "I thought, 'Yeah, I can do my own events and I want to take this seriously from now on.'

"Mum didn't want to push me until I said I wanted to do it. All she says is, 'Focus on the one main goal'.

"It was two years ago that I ran my first sub 11 seconds - 10.86 when I was 13 - that was my first big thing. I have just been gradually working and working."

While the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, when he will be 18, isn't entirely off the cards for Divine, he's likely to have plenty of chances to shine on the world stage, potentially forming a rivalry for ages with Gout.