His Cuban rival was leading, but Gout Gout knew he had him covered, and broke a record too

The better the competition, the faster he went. Indeed, the faster he goes.

Competing at his first professional race in Europe against some of the world’s best men, Gout Gout ran faster than he, or any Australian man, has run the 200 metres.

Australia’s Gout Gout runs to win the men 200 metres during the Ostrava Golden Spike athletics meet.Credit: AP

Gout came within a fraction of legally breaking 20 seconds winning the Ostrava Golden Spike meet in 20.02 seconds, with no wind to speak of.

That he will soon break 20 seconds is like saying he will soon finish year 12. Both things will happen soon. In fact, he will probably break the speed milestone before the school one.

“Get some more races in me and it [20 seconds] will drop for sure,” Gout said after the win.

“I feel good. New personal best, new national record in my first European race.”

Gout had to wait for the mid-year school holidays to make his professional racing debut in Europe, but when he did in the Czech Republic overnight, the teenager flew.

As much as he had been waiting for the chance to get to Europe to race the rest of the world, the rest of the world had been waiting to see this kid in the flesh. The hype around Gout is not contained to Australia.

For a teenager who had not raced senior open races internationally before, he is a world figure already. He is the buzz athlete everyone wants to see, to witness if the talk is real. They now know it is.

It’s the speed, the age, the unusual name, and the unmistakable likeness to Usain Bolt’s running style -  to say nothing of having bettered some of the world’s greatest sprinter’s achievements at the same age - that make a likeness difficult to ignore and so made the world take notice. Even Gout and Bolt both see the similarity.

The race itself on Wednesday (AEST) was mature. An odd word that for a 17-year-old who had to wait until year 12 school holidays to fly to Europe and race, but he ran a composed, mature race. Not overawed by the moment, he had a calm assurance of what he needed to do and if he did that, then he would probably win.

He already knows his race. He knows his starts are a weakness but that he comes home strong so if he is within touch coming off the bend, he is confident he will win. It is what he expected in Ostrava and the race followed his plot.

The query was whether he was fit enough and strong enough against more seasoned runners. He had a blisteringly good summer, but how much fitter and stronger was he now after even a few months of training – while studying year 12? The answer was emphatically that he is fitter, stronger and quicker.

“I’ve felt stronger in training these last couple of months and I’ve felt good since I got to Europe last Thursday,” Gout said.

Gout Gout celebrates after winning the men 200 metres during the Ostrava Golden Spike athletics meet.Credit: AP

“I knew Mena [Cuban Reynier Mena] would come hard at me the first 100, but I was confident I’d be close enough to come home strongly in the second part of the race, which is of course my stronger part.”

As the runners came out of the bend and the stagger evened out, Gout in lane six had moved ahead of the two runners wilting on his outside to only have Mena ahead of him on his inside lane. At the 100m, Mena eased open the gap on Gout slightly for about 10 metres, and it appeared he might hold Gout out.

But this was the mature bit: Gout looked more relaxed and confident than Mena. Gout knew he would come, but you got the sense Mena knew the same thing and tightened up as he tried to strain for the line. By 160m, Gout looked like he kicked up a gear but in fact he was just holding his top-end pace – a rare thing to be able to do late in a 200 – while Mena hit the sand and slowed down. By the time they hit the line, the gap was a metre and widening.

Gout stopped the clock at 20.02s ahead of Mena in 20.19 and Briton Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake in 20.60.

“I felt calm but strong as I came off the turn and was confident I’d be strong enough to get the win,” Gout said. “Another national record! Pretty happy with that, it’s not a bad first-up in Europe!”

The win was not only a first European victory but affirmation that Gout is untroubled mentally or physically by racing the marquee races of Europe against much older and more experienced runners.

He will now stay and train in Europe ahead of a race at the Monaco Diamond League in an under-23 200m race on July 11.

That Gout made his European debut in Ostrava and ran a personal best created a further neat synergy with Bolt.

Bolt held the 200m meet record of 19.83 in Ostrava that he set as a 21-year-old when Gout was barely six months old. That was in 2008 and later that year, Bolt went on to win his first Olympic gold medal.

In Bolt’s first race in Ostrava as a 19-year-old he ran 20.28. Of course, while these stats mean everything and nothing as the portents for Gout’s future, they do provide perspective for how impressive Gout’s performances are when measured against what the world’s greatest had done.

Gout enjoys the Bolt comparisons and thus far appears unburdened by them as he routinely replies the same way: That is nice, but I am also wanting to be Gout Gout.

Right now, Gout Gout is a good thing to be.

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