Teen phenom Gout Gout shatters Australian record in senior debut

Seventeen-year-old Gout Gout has made an electrifying entrance onto the senior international athletics stage, smashing the Australian record in the men's 200m. Competing at the prestigious Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Gout clocked an incredible 20.02 seconds, securing victory in his highly anticipated European debut.

The young sprinter powered past Cuban Reynier Mena, who despite winning the last two Diamond League 200m races, had to settle for second place. A jubilant Gout Gout expressed his excitement after the race: "I feel good. New personal best, new national record in my first European race."

'It's just me by myself and what I've got to do'

Gout seems unfazed by the growing hype surrounding his burgeoning career. "I don't feel any pressure," he asserted. "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 of 20.60.

Comparisons to the legendary eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt have quickly emerged. Gout's 200m time in Ostrava is already faster than Bolt's 20.28 seconds performance at his first Golden Spike meet in 2006. However, Gout is still aiming to run a legal time under 20 seconds, a feat Bolt achieved with a 19.93 in Bermuda four months before his 18th birthday.

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Gout's previous personal best was 20.04 seconds, which he ran last December to break Olympic silver medalist Peter Norman's long-standing Australian record. This latest achievement signifies a seamless transition to the senior level after a period of dominating youth competitions. He holds the Australian under-16 records in both the 100m and 200m and last year secured the national under-20 100m title before earning a 200m silver medal at the World Under-20 Championships in Lima.

Following his double victory in the 200m and 400m at the 2024 GPS Track & Field Championships in his native Queensland, Gout turned professional, signing 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 are scheduled to take place from September 13-21 in Tokyo, Japan, where Gout Gout will undoubtedly be one to watch.