Australian sprinting prodigy Gout Gout is ready to make his highly anticipated European debut at the Ostrava Golden Spike on June 24, where he will share the stage with global track superstars Femke Bol and Jakob Ingebrigtsen. The 17-year-old phenom, already drawing comparisons to Usain Bolt, will compete in the 200m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet in the Czech Republic.
Gout Gout’s first race on European soil will be no ordinary event. The Ostrava Golden Spike has assembled an elite field, including world 400m hurdles champion Femke Bol, who will contest the flat 400m, and Olympic 1500m gold medalist Jakob Ingebrigtsen, making his return to Ostrava for the first time since 2022. Bol will be joined by world U20 champion Lurdes Gloria Manuel, adding further prestige to the meet.
For Gout, this race represents a crucial step outside his comfort zone. Having dominated Australian competitions, he now faces the challenge of testing his speed against world-class competition on the international stage.
Gout Gout has already made waves in the sprinting world with his record-shattering performances. In December 2023, he clocked an astonishing 20.04 seconds in the 200m, breaking the long-standing Oceanian U18 record and surpassing Usain Bolt’s world U16 best.
Despite his undeniable talent, Gout has faced frustration with wind-assisted times. At the Australian Championships in Perth, he ran 9.99 seconds twice, but wind-assisted times weren’t ratified due to strong tailwinds. Last month, he clocked a wind-aided 19.98 seconds in the 200m, sparking excitement for a legal-condition performance.
The Ostrava Golden Spike presents Gout Gout with the perfect opportunity to silence doubters and validate his hype.