Teenager Gout Gout set a new Australian record with victory in the men’s 200m on his senior international debut at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava.
The 17-year-old clocked 20.02 seconds in a highly anticipated first European meeting in the Czech Republic.
The sprinter powered past Portuguese-based Cuban Reynier Mena, who had to settle for second after winning the last two Diamond League 200m races.
“I feel good. New personal best, new national record in my first European race,” said Gout Gout.
“I don’t feel any pressure. Because as soon as I step out on that track, it’s just me by myself and what I’ve got to do – my favourite thing, and that’s to run.
“I just go out there and run and nothing stops me from doing that. (I need to) Get some more races in me and (the 20-second barrier) will drop for sure.”
Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake finished third with a season’s best 20.60.
Gout has been compared to legendary eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt, and his 200m time in Ostrava was better than that of Jamaica’s world record holder, who finished in 20.28 on his first Golden Spike meet in 2006.
However, Gout is yet to run a legal time under 20 seconds, which Bolt achieved four months before his 18th birthday with a 19.93 in Bermuda.
Gout’s previous personal best was 20.04, which he ran last December to break Olympic silver medallist Peter Norman’s long-standing Australian record.
Gout has stepped up to senior level after dominating youth meetings.
He holds the Australian under-16 records in both the 100m and 200m, and last year won the national under-20 100m title before securing a 200m silver medal in the World Under-20 Championships in Lima.
Following last year’s victory in the 200m and 400m at the 2024 GPS Track & Field Championships in his native Queensland, Gout turned professional and signed a sponsorship deal with Adidas.
He will continue his preparation for September’s World Championships by competing at the Monaco Diamond League meet at Stade Louis II on July 11.
This year’s World Championships will be held from September 13-21 in Tokyo, Japan.—BBC
