Seventeen-year-old Australian sprinter Gout Gout made a spectacular senior international debut on Wednesday, setting a new Australian men’s 200m record with a time of 20.02 seconds at the Golden Spike meeting.
His victory in Ostrava immediately drew comparisons to legendary Usain Bolt.
Gout powered past seasoned competitors, including Reynier Mena, who had won the last two Diamond League 200m races.
“New personal best, new national record in my first European race,” a delighted Gout said, emphasizing he feels no pressure when he runs.
His 20.02-second run was faster than Bolt’s 20.28 in his 2006 Golden Spike debut.
While Gout is yet to break the 20-second barrier (which Bolt achieved at 17), his rapid rise has captivated the athletics world.
Gout, who previously broke Peter Norman’s long-standing Australian record with a 20.04 last December, has dominated youth categories.
Now professional and sponsored by Adidas, he’ll compete at the Monaco Diamond League on July 11 as he prepares for the World Championships in Tokyo this September.
In other Golden Spike highlights, Armand Duplantis set a new meeting record in pole vault (6.13m), Phanuel Koech broke the men’s 1500m meeting record (3:29.05), Prudence Sekgodiso won the women’s 800m (1:57.16), and Salwa Eid Naser broke a 42-year course record in the women’s 400m (49.15).
