- Teenage sensation produced the goods on European debut
- Flew to a new personal best at Ostrava Golden Spike meet
Gout Gout has come within a whisker of breaking the 20-second mark with a stunning run that set a new Australian record in the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
The 17-year-old flew to a time of 20.02 seconds with no tailwind at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet, which was both his first professional meet and his European debut.
That broke his own national record of 20.04 seconds, which he set in December last year as he shattered the mark set by Peter Norman at the 1968 Olympics.
Up against the highest-quality field he has ever faced, with two of his competitors having broken the 20-second mark, the Aussie blitzed the last 20 metres to pull ahead of Cuban star Reynier Mena.
‘Get some more races in me and it [the 20-second barrier] will drop for sure,’ Gout said after the event.
‘I feel good. New personal best, new national record in my first European race.
Gout Gout celebrates after storming home over the last 20 metres to win and break his own Australian record in the Czech Republic
The teenage sensation clocked 20.02 with no tailwind at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet
The stunning run put the athletics world on notice and will only increase the comparisons between Gout and Usain Bolt, who also made his European debut at the venue
‘I don’t feel any pressure, because as soon as I step out on that track, it’s must 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.
‘I’ve felt stronger in training these last couple of months and I’ve felt good since I got to Europe last Thursday.
‘I knew Mena would come hard at me the first 100 but I was confident I’d be close enough to come home strongly in the second part of the race, which is, of course, my stronger part.
‘I felt calm but strong as I came off the turn and was confident I’d be strong enough to get the win.
‘Another national record! Pretty happy with that, it’s not a bad first up in Europe!’
World Athletics documented his run in a tweet labelling the effort a ‘Dream European debut’ and pointing out Gout pulled out the time in his first senior race abroad.
Gout had previously run 19.84 in April, but that time came with an illegal tailwind.
Gout (pictured after the race) broke the mark while facing the strongest field of his career
His 20.02 will only increase the comparisons between him and Usain Bolt, who ran 19.93 close to his 18th birthday.
Gout does not turn 18 until December 29, and he clocked the new record at the same venue where Bolt made his European debut.
Reynier finished second in a time of 20.19 with Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake third in 20.60.
Gout’s fellow Aussie Peter Bol also had a great meet, winning the 800m event and finishing just a hundredth of a second off his personal best.
And another Australian teen, 18-year-old Cameron Myers, ran the race of his life to smash his own national 1500m record by almost three seconds to finish fourth in the event.
