Gout, 17, sets Australian record at Golden Spike

Gout Gout, a teen, won the men’s 200 meter at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava, breaking a new Australian record.

In the highly anticipated first European meeting in the Czech Republic, the 17-year-old clocked 20.02 seconds.

Reynier Mena, a sprinter from Portugal, had to settle for second place after winning the previous two 200-meter races in the Diamond League.

Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Great Britain placed third, with a season-best 20.60.

Gout, who has won eight Olympic gold medals, was compared to legendary runner-up Usain Bolt, whose 200-meter time in Ostrava was faster than Jamaica’s world record holder’s time of 20.28 at his first Golden Spike meet in 2006.

Gout, who was born four months before his 18th birthday, ran a 19.93 in Bermuda while still in his 20s.

Gout’s previous personal best was 20.04, breaking Olympic silver medalist Peter Norman’s long-standing Australian record.

After dominating youth gatherings, Gout has advanced to the senior level.

He holds the 100- and 200-meter records for Australian under-16s, and he won the national under-20 100-meter title last year before taking home the 200-meter silver medal at the Lima World Under-20 Championships.

Gout turned professional and signed a sponsorship deal with Adidas following his 200 and 400-meter triumphs last year at the 2024 GPS Track &amp, Field Championships in his native Queensland.

He will compete in the Monaco Diamond League meet at Stade Louis II on July 11 to continue his preparation for the World Championships in September.

One of four athletes to break new Golden Spike records was pole vault world record holder Armand Duplantis.

Sweden’s Olympic and world champion won with 6.13m in Ostrava, breaking the previous record at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm this month with a clearance of 6.28m.

Duplantis expressed disappointment with his performance despite a three-time world record and six unsuccessful attempts at 6.29m.

Given that I felt like I was running out of fuel, Duplantis said, “I felt good with the jumps.”

In addition to setting a meeting record in the men’s 1500m, Kenyan teenager Phanuel Koech, 18, ran a time of three minutes 29.05 seconds, while world indoor champion Prudence Sekgodiso, a teenager from South Africa, claimed victory in the women’s 800m in one minute 57.16 seconds.

Salwa Eid Naser, a former world champion in Bahrain, won in 49.15 seconds to break Tatana Kocembova’s 42-year course record.