“Australian Wonderkid Gout Gout Sets New National 200m Record of 20.02 at Golden Spike Meeting in Czech Republic”

OSTRAVA, Czech Republic, June 25, 2025 — At just 17 years old, Australian sprinting prodigy Gout Gout has once again rewritten the record books, breaking his own national 200m record with a blistering 20.02 seconds at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on Tuesday. Competing in his first senior race on European soil, the Queensland teenager shaved two hundredths of a second off his previous Australian record of 20.04, set in December 2024, solidifying his place as one of the most exciting talents in global athletics.

The Golden Spike, a prestigious World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event, provided the perfect stage for Gout’s latest heroics. Running in lane five, he trailed Cuba’s Reynier Mena through the curve but unleashed a devastating surge in the final 100 meters, powering across the finish line in 20.02 seconds. Mena took second in 20.19, while Great Britain’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake claimed third in 20.60. “I’m thrilled with the race,” Gout said post-race, as reported by Reuters. “New personal best, new national record, and it’s my first time racing in Europe. I just focus on running my race, doing what I love.”

Gout’s performance in Ostrava marks another milestone in a breakout year that has seen him redefine Australian sprinting. In December 2024, at the Australian All Schools Championships, he smashed Peter Norman’s 56-year-old national 200m record of 20.06, set at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, with a time of 20.04 seconds. That run made him the fastest under-16 200m runner in history and the second-fastest under-18 athlete ever, trailing only American Erriyon Knighton’s world U18 record of 19.84. His latest 20.02 elevates him to the 11th-fastest 200m time globally this season, per World Athletics data.
Born on December 29, 2007, to South Sudanese parents who migrated to Queensland in 2005, Gout is the fourth of seven siblings and a student at Ipswich Grammar School. His raw talent was discovered at age 13 by coach Di Sheppard, who told The Guardian, “I saw him on the school oval, and something about his movement just stood out. My gut said, ‘That’s a special kid.’” Under Sheppard’s guidance, Gout has developed a lanky, fluid running style reminiscent of Usain Bolt, earning high praise from Australian athletics legend Jane Flemming, who remarked, “He’s got that Bolt-like build and stride. He’s the real deal.”
Gout’s 2024 season was a whirlwind of records and accolades. At the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru, he claimed silver in the 200m with a time of 20.60 seconds. Earlier, at the Queensland Athletics Championships in April 2024, he ran a wind-assisted 19.98 seconds in the U20 200m final—the fastest 200m ever by an Australian in any conditions, though not ratifiable as a record due to a tailwind exceeding the legal limit. In the 100m, Gout broke the 10-second barrier twice in one day, setting an Australian U18 record of 10.17 seconds in the final.

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