Seventeen-year-old Gout Gout made an electrifying start to his senior international career, setting a new Australian record in the men’s 200m at the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic. In his European debut, the teenage sensation clocked 20.02 seconds to take the win.
Gout surged past Cuban-born Reynier Mena based in Portugal and winner of the last two Diamond League 200m events, who had to settle for second place. Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake claimed third with a season-best time of 20.60 seconds.
The young Australian has drawn comparisons to sprint legend Usain Bolt, and his Ostrava performance bettered Bolt’s own debut time at the same meet in 2006 (20.28 seconds). However, Gout is still chasing a sub-20-second legal run something Bolt achieved at 17 with a 19.93-second dash in Bermuda.
Gout previously ran a personal best of 20.04 seconds last December, surpassing Peter Norman’s long-standing national record. After a dominant youth career during which he set national under-16 records in both the 100m and 200m, he transitioned to senior level. In 2023, he won the Australian U20 100m title and took silver in the 200m at the World U20 Championships in Lima.
Following double gold in the 200m and 400m at Queensland’s 2024 GPS Track & Field Championships, Gout turned professional and signed with Adidas. He’s now preparing for the World Championships in Tokyo this September, with his next outing set for the Monaco Diamond League meet on 11 July.
Duplantis, Koech, Sekgodiso and Naser Set Meet Records
Swedish pole vault star Armand Duplantis was one of four athletes to set new meeting records in Ostrava. The Olympic and world champion, who recently cleared a world-record 6.28m in Stockholm, won with a height of 6.13m, despite three failed attempts at surpassing his own world best.
Kenya’s 18-year-old Phanuel Koech also impressed, running a record-breaking 3:29.05 in the 1500m. South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso won the women’s 800m in a meeting record time of 1:57.16.
Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser claimed the women’s 400m title in 49.15 seconds, breaking a 42-year-old course record previously held by Czech icon Tatana Kocembova.
Elsewhere, Britain’s Samuel Reardon placed second in the men’s 400m, while Olympic silver medallist Amy Hunt finished fourth in the women’s 100m.
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