Duplantis wins in Ostrava as Gout Gout breaks Australian 200m record
Sweden’s Armand Duplantis soared to victory in the pole vault at the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic on Tuesday, while 17-year-old Australian Gout Gout announced himself with a new national 200m record.
Duplantis cleared 6.13m with ease before three unsuccessful attempts at 6.29m, just nine days after setting his latest world record at 6.28m. The double Olympic champion remained in a class of his own, as runner-up Emmanouil Karalis of Greece was well adrift, failing to clear 6.02m.
“I feel pretty good about it. I can’t complain too much. Overall I feel like I jumped really well,” Duplantis said.
On the track, Gout Gout stunned the field by clocking 20.02 seconds to win the 200m, breaking the Australian record in his first European race. He had previously run 19.84 seconds with a wind-aid in April.
“I don’t feel any pressure… I just go out there and run and nothing stops me from doing that,” he said.
Elsewhere, US hurdler Dylan Beard edged Olympic champion Grant Holloway in the 110m hurdles, both finishing in 13.13 seconds. It was Holloway’s second loss to Beard in four days.
South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso won the women’s 800m in 1:57.16, the second-fastest time of the season. Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser took the women’s 400m in 49.15, ahead of Femke Bol (49.98) in her season debut at the distance.
Kenya’s Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech, 18, won the men’s 1500m in 3:29.05, while Liberia’s Thelma Davies sprinted to a national record of 10.91 seconds in the women’s 100m.
Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan clocked 12.45 seconds to win the women’s 100m hurdles.
In the women’s javelin, Serbia’s Adriana Vilagos upset Olympic champion Haruka Kitaguchi with a winning throw of 64.87m.
(Source: AFP)
