Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout came agonizingly close to breaking the 20-second barrier in the 200m during his European debut at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet on Tuesday.
Running against a quality field in his first senior race abroad, Gout stormed to victory in 20.02 seconds . That was a new Australian national record, improving his own previous best by 0.02 seconds. He edged out Cuban Reynier Mena by 0.17 seconds. Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake came third in 20.60.
“I feel pretty good,” Gout said after the race. “First European race, so coming here feeling fun, and obviously, very close [to sub-20], yeah, it’s very close. Get some more races and it will be done.”
The race, held at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in the Czech Republic, saw Gout confirm his rising status on the global stage. His win came without the help of a tailwind and underlined his strong finish, as he surged past Mena in the last 20 metres.
The run improved the national record he previously set in December 2024 (20.04), a time that had already surpassed Peter Norman’s long-standing mark from the 1968 Olympics. He also clocked a wind-assisted 19.84 seconds earlier in April, though it did not count for record purposes.
“I felt calm but strong as I came off the turn. I was confident I’d be strong enough to get the win,” he said. “Another national record! Pretty happy with that. It’s not a bad first up in Europe.”
Gout said he has been feeling stronger in training over the last few months. He felt sharp since arriving in Europe just days before the meet. “I don’t feel any pressure. As soon as I step on the track, it’s just me by myself doing my favourite thing and that’s to run.”