Athletics world frustrated as Gout Gout feat 'ruined' by cruel disadvantage in debut
The Aussie finally got a taste of the bright lights in his first ever Diamond League meet and there were some big names watching his race. While Gout opted to run in the U-23 men's division, he still left a lasting impression having blitzed his opponents and won his race in 20.10 seconds.
He finished well ahead of South African Naeem Jack (20.42) and Botswana's Busang Collen Kebinatshipi (20.28sec) in the European meet. Unfortunately, Gout was disadvantaged by the strong 1.9m/sec wind in his face and could have finally cracked the elusive 20 second barrier in the 200 metre event if it wasn't from the uphill battle.
"I am pretty satisfied, I just got told that it was into a headwind. I ran pretty decent so I am happy with that," he said of his time. "I haven't competed much this season since I have to go to school, I will be back on Monday. During the holidays is the time to compete for me."
🚨 Watch India's Animesh Finishing 4th at Diamond League against Gout Gout!!Animesh Kujur clocks 20.55s to secure 4th place in the U23 200m at the Monaco Diamond League! 🔥🇮🇳#Athletics #IndianAthletics #DiamondLeague #AnimeshKujur #MonacoDL pic.twitter.com/K45xRQz0ic
— nnis Sports (@nnis_sports) July 11, 2025
Regardless, Gout achieved his feat in front of 200m world champion Noah Lyles who also made a statement recording 19.88 running into a less strong 0.8m/sec headwind. While the young star knows he has plenty of work to do, Gout admitted he backs himself in the final 50 metres knowing his top-end speed is his 'secret' weapon.
"My top-end speed is my secret, so I've just got to focus on the first 100, first 50, and once I get out of that bend, I know I can run people down," Gout said with a smile afterwards. "So stay relaxed, stay focused, and just power through."
While the 17-year-old Queenslander was happy with the experience, others felt his run was hampered by the strong headwind. While Lyles stole the show with his 19.88, fans couldn't help but wonder what Gout would have recorded without the stronger headwind putting him at a disadvantage.
Another impressive 200m showing for Gout Gout in Monaco, following up on his 20.02 win in Ostrava a little over two weeks ago.Jonas Mureika's sprint conversion calculator has it worth 19.93 in still conditions... https://t.co/fzpRa7jizN pic.twitter.com/KoFE3Jbt2O
— Jonathan Gault (@jgault13) July 11, 2025
Gout Gout steals the show in the Men's U23 200m at #MonacoDL! 🇦🇺The Aussie sprint prodigy cruises to victory in 20.10 (-1.9 m/s), just 0.08 off his PB, and makes a bold impression in Monaco. #DiamondLeague 📸Dan Vernon pic.twitter.com/7VWNzMJ9U9
— RunBlogRun (@RunBlogRun) July 11, 2025
Kid can't catch a break for real, massive performance ruined 😭
— Anton (@aob0203) July 11, 2025
That damned headwind ruined a few times.
— Ray Brown (@nitebot) July 11, 2025
Gout is set to compete against the best sprinters in the world, including Lyles, at the World Championships later this year. However, he opted not to challenge himself against the field on Friday. Gout admitted while he is keen to get a crack at them soon, he feels he needs more experience running in the big leagues before jumping into the deep end.
Gout's win in Monaco marked just his second competition in Europe and he has sprinted his way to victory on both occasions. "I didn't compete in the main race because I just want slowly to get used to it, there is no point putting me in big races when I am running at the World Championships. The goal now is to go out there and have a little bit of fun," the 17-year-old added.
Incredibly, Gout wasn't the only Aussie stealing the show in Monaco. Just like she did last year in Monaco, Olympic metric mile silver medallist Hull beat her previous national mark by two seconds.
Hull recorded 2:30.96 to finish in third place behind Kenyan Nelly Chepchirchir (2min 29.77sec). Meanwhile, long-distance runner Peter Bol finished fourth in 1:42.55 for the 800m event. He also broke own national record by more than a second.
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