(Reuters) -Teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout claimed the Australian title in the men's 200 metres in Perth on Sunday with a dominant display that broke the 20-second barrier with a wind-assisted performance.
The 17-year-old crossed the line in 19.84 seconds, a time that eclipsed his own national record by 0.2 seconds but which will not count as a new mark due to a wind speed of +2.2 metres per second.
"Feels pretty good," Gout said. "That's what I've been chasing, I've been chasing getting that sub 10, focussing on my first hundred and that's exactly what I did.
"I got out, I sent it. Top speed is my gift. I used it, took off and I got sub 20 so I couldn't be happier.
"I think (I'm) maybe one of the youngest to ever win a men's national title, so it definitely feels great. Couldn't be happier for sure."
Gout's pre-race rival Lachlan Kennedy was disqualified for a false start and, as a result, the youngster hesitated out of the blocks before powering down the straight to leave the competition battling for second.
Peter Bol set a national record of 1 minute 43.79 seconds to win the men's 800m as he continues his return to form ahead of the World Athletic Championships in Japan in September.
"I should have been at this level a few years ago; obviously, I had some interruptions," said Bol. "But to be back here, to know this is where I belong is great. I always knew I could do it, it was just a matter of time."
Bol finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but his career was disrupted after he was provisionally suspended in January 2023 for returning a positive test for synthetic erythropoietin in out-of-competition testing.
The provisional suspension was lifted a month later and the investigation was dropped in August that year, clearing Bol to run at the 2023 World Athletic Championships, where he was eliminated in the heats.
(Reporting by Michael Church; Editing by William Mallard)
