April 12 (Reuters) - Australian sprinter Gout Gout scorched the track to clock 19.67 seconds and win the 200 metres title at the Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney on Sunday, becoming the first man from his country to break the 20-second barrier.
The fiercely contested final also saw Aidan Murphy dip under 20 seconds to go second with 19.88, while Calab Law was third at the Sydney Olympic Park with 20.21.
Gout's spectacular effort with a legal +1.7-metres-per-second tailwind meant that the 18-year-old defended his 200m title and sent out a warning to his rivals.
He also eclipsed the previous world Under-20 mark held by Erriyon Knighton, while improving on his own national record of 20.02 set last year.
Gout's record run marked the first time he has gone under 20 seconds in legal conditions, after achieving the feat last year with the aid of a tailwind when he clocked 19.84 at the national championships.
"I've been chasing it ever since I got that illegal sub-20 seconds. It's been on my mind this whole year and past couple of months, so I'm glad I got it," Gout said.
"It's absolutely insane. You could say it's a big weight off my shoulders, knowing that I ran it legally and I have the speed in my body to run times like that.
"I wrote down 19.75 seconds and for the past week in my head I've been telling myself I'm running 19.75 and obviously - 19.67 - you've got to love it."
KENNEDY PULLOUT
Gout's run came on the final day of competition, after his main rival Lachlan Kennedy pulled out of the 200m race as a precaution, with his management citing the need to manage his workload early in a long season.
Kennedy nonetheless underlined his form by winning the 100 metres in 9.96 seconds on Saturday, repeating the time he ran in the heats to become the first Australian to break 10 seconds on home soil.
His withdrawal denied fans a cracking race after last month's Maurie Plant Meet, when Kennedy won his duel with Gout.
Gout, the son of South Sudanese immigrants, has attracted growing global attention for his rapid rise and running style, drawing comparisons with Jamaican great Usain Bolt as he emerges as one of the most exciting young talents in sprinting.
Kennedy will now target success in this year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, while Gout will go for gold in the 200m event in the world under-20 championships in Eugene, Oregon.
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus and William Mallard)
