17 hours ago
Australian teen sensation Gout Gout betters his own 200m national record
Gout Gout of Australia celebrates after winning the men's 200 metres event at the 2025 Golden Spike Ostrava athletics meet. PHOTO: EPA
OSTRAVA – Australian teenage sprinter Gout Gout said he does not feel any pressure, after crushing the 200 metres field in his first senior race abroad on June 24.
The 17-year-old improved on his own national record by two hundredths of a second to finish in 20.02 seconds at the Ostrava Golden Spike.
He ran a textbook race in his European debut at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in the Czech Republic, crossing the line 0.17sec ahead of Cuban Reynier Mena, while Briton Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (20.60sec) was third.
'I feel good. New personal best, new national record in my first European race,' the Queensland schoolboy told reporters.
'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.
'So, I just go out there and run and nothing stops me from doing that... Get some more races in me and (the 20-second barrier) will drop for sure.'
Gout has drawn comparisons to Jamaican great Usain Bolt and he made headlines in December when he broke Peter Norman's national record that had stood for 56 years in 20.04sec.
He ran a 19.84-second 200 and 9.99sec in the 100m at the Australian national championships in Perth in April but a strong tailwind rendered both illegal.
His performances were strong enough, however, to earn him a spot on Australia's team for the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
In other events, Sweden's Armand Duplantis won pole vault by clearing 6.13m before failing to get over 6.29m for what would have been a new world record nine days after setting his latest one at 6.28m.
The 25-year-old double Olympic champion was in a league of his own once again as second-placed Emmanouil Karalis of Greece did not even get close to clearing 6.02m.
'I feel pretty good about it. I can't complain too much. Overall I feel like I jumped really well,' Duplantis said.
Reigning Olympic champion Grant Holloway lost to US compatriot Dylan Beard in the 110m hurdles for the second time in four days.
Holloway only finished fifth at the Diamond League in Paris on June 20 as Beard took the second spot.
In Ostrava, Beard edged a slowing Holloway on the finish line with both clocking 13.13sec.
'This is not the way I execute the race,' Holloway said before admitting 'the time is all right'. REUTERS, AFP
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
