Monaco should have been where he broke 20. Hot, a fast track and racing the best under-23s in a Diamond League meet side event. Everything was poised for Gout to break 20 seconds for the first time.
Then Gout Gout copped a headwind.
Still, the Australian phenomenon broke his own national record and won. He ran 20.1 into a -1.9m per second headwind.
It was 0.8 seconds outside his national record. Theoretically, he was racing the runners of his generation in the under-23 event, except at 17, he’s barely member of that group yet.
Regardless, he was racing the wind more than the rest of the field, winning comfortably by 0.18s from Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi in 20.28s, another 17-year-old, Naeem Jack was 3rd in 20.42s.
“Today was just getting really relaxed and focusing on what I have been doing in training and that is what I did and I got a win. It was into a negative headwind so that was pretty unlucky, but I was just practicing what I do in training and trying to execute,” Gout said.
“The progression is obviously the under-23 race just getting my feet out there and obviously I am feeling very excited racing everyone out in the big league Noah Lyles, Tebogo, just everyone out there is fun to compete with for sure so I just got out there and see what can do for sure.”
Gout had been poised to break 20 seconds after a superb run in the Czech Republic only last month when he ran 20.02s to win the Ostrava Gold Spike meet.
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