MELBOURNE — Teenage sprinter Gout Gout is set to make another statement at the Australian junior championships in Brisbane this weekend, following his stunning 200-meter win last weekend.

The 18-year-old athlete made global headlines during the senior championships in Sydney, where he claimed the 200-meter title with an impressive 19.67-second finish, setting an under-20 world record.

Now, Gout’s focus shifts to the 100-meter race at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC) in Brisbane. He will aim to break the coveted 10-second barrier during the semi-finals and finals on Saturday, after clocking 10.19 seconds in Friday's heats.

Only two Australians have ever achieved a sub-10-second 100-meter run: national record holder Patrick Johnson (9.93 seconds) and Lachlan Kennedy, who has run a personal best of 9.96 seconds at the senior championships.

Gout, who set his personal best of 10.00 seconds at the same QSAC track in February, is confident he can improve on that time.

"100%," he said when asked about his chances on Friday. "Hopefully the wind stays calm, and anything is possible."

Patrick Johnson, who set the Australian national 100-meter record in Mito, Japan, in 2003, has expressed support for Gout but cautioned against placing too much pressure on him at such a young age.

“Yes, I was the first to break 10 seconds, but I never want to be the last,” Johnson told local media. “I’ve always said my records are there to be broken. You create your own history and your own reality.”

Gout will also have the opportunity to improve on his national 200-meter record when the preliminaries begin on Sunday.

While each of Gout’s accomplishments sparks media buzz in Australia and comparisons to Usain Bolt's teenage feats, not all in the athletics community are convinced. Former Olympic and world 100-meter champion Justin Gatlin has urged Gout to prove himself on the international stage.

“You can run fast in comfort, everyone can run fast in comfort. But can you run fast in discomfort? That’s where it’s at,” Gatlin said. “That’s going to be a challenge for him because he’s so used to running in Australia.”

Gout, however, remains unfazed by the critics.

“If there are haters, it means you’re doing something right,” he said. “It is what it is. I don’t take it to heart, so I just keep running. It was pretty fast, so that’s probably why they were mad. It motivates me to do an even bigger race and run even faster.”

-Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters