In his first professional race on European soil, 17-year-old Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout delivered a jaw-dropping performance, winning the 200m at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet in 20.02 seconds — a new Australian men’s record.
There was no wind, no hype needed — just raw speed and composure from a teenager still in high school. Gout now stands on the brink of sprinting history: breaking 20 seconds seems inevitable, and likely to come before he even finishes Year 12.
“I feel good. New personal best, new national record in my first European race,” Gout said. “Get some more races in me and it [breaking 20] will drop for sure.”
His performance wasn’t just fast — it was mature. Racing from lane six, Gout stayed composed despite early pressure from Cuba’s Reynier Mena, surged through the second half of the race — his signature strength — and crossed the line first, a metre clear. Mena clocked 20.19, and Briton Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake finished third in 20.60.
Already compared to Usain Bolt for his stride, youth, and race intelligence, Gout isn’t shying away from the spotlight. Fittingly, Bolt also made his European debut in Ostrava at 19, running 20.28 — a mark Gout just obliterated two years younger.
Now training in Europe ahead of his next outing at the Monaco Diamond League on July 11, Gout is no longer just a promising junior — he’s a world-class sprinter in the making. And he’s doing it all with a calm smile, while still juggling Year 12 studies.
As Gout put it best: “That’s not a bad first-up in Europe!”
