Gout Gout had to wait for the mid-year school holidays to make his professional racing debut in Europe, but when he did in the Czech Republic overnight, the teenager flew to a new national record.
Gout came within a fraction of legally breaking 20 seconds as the 17-year-old came down hard on the home straight to claim victory in the Ostrava Golden Spike meet in 20.02 seconds with no wind.
Australia’s Gout Gout runs to win the men 200 metres during the Ostrava Golden Spike athletics meet.Credit: AP
Gout bested his own 20.04s 200m record that he set in December last year, when he broke Peter Norman’s record set at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.
“Get some more races in me and it (20 seconds) will drop for sure,” Gout said after what was also his first professional race.
“I feel good. New personal best, new national record in my first European race.”
After a stunning summer in which the schoolboy broke the national men’s record, and ran under 20 seconds for the 200m with an illegal wind, Gout’s performance showed that even in the space of a few months of training and maturing, he is getting better at a rapid rate. It was not hyperbole to predict his times would soon dip below 20 seconds.
Gout’s race was in some ways similar to his normal pattern – a relatively slow starter but a big slingshot off the bend to be the strongest finisher on the track – but after months of a training bloc while doing his year 12 studies, he looked quicker and stronger in his first 100m than he had been in the Australian summer.
He was well-placed coming out of the bend and closed down the leader, Cuban Reynier Mena, in the last 20 metres to take the win. Mena finished in 20.19s ahead of Briton Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake in 20.60s.
“The main goal of the season is obviously world championships,” Gout told organisers ahead of the meet in the Czech Republic.“Let’s see what I can do on the world stage against professional athletes. Hopefully I can run fast and perform well.”
That Gout made his European debut here in Ostrava and ran a personal best created a neat synergy with Usain Bolt – the man he has been likened to for his long striding style – a similarity that has drawn an appreciative nod of recognition from the sprint king himself.
Gout Gout celebrates after winning the men 200 metres during the Ostrava Golden Spike athletics meet.Credit: AP
Bolt held the 200m meet record of 19.83s in Ostrava that he set as a 21-year-old when Gout was barely six months old. That was in 2008 and later that year, Bolt went on to win his first Olympic Gold medal.
In Bolt’s first race in Ostrava as a 19-year-old he ran 20.28s. Of course, while these stats mean everything and nothing as the portents for Gout’s future, they do provide perspective for how impressive Gout’s performances are when measured gainst what the world’s best ever had done.
“It definitely feels great to be compared to Bolt,” Gout told organisers ahead of the race.
“I’ve heard that a lot of sprinters run here really good. I know Usain Bolt ran here nine times, so the event clearly has a great tradition. Who doesn’t want to be Usain Bolt? Being compared to Usain Bolt feels great, but I would like to put my personality in the upcoming story.”
On an impressive night for Australians at the European Continental Gold meet, Peter Bol cruised to a win in the 800m running 1.43.80, just outside his own national record of 1.43.79.
And Australian teenager Cam Myers ran a personal best in his 1500m finishing fourth in 3:29.80, a new national under-20 record.
