Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout falls short of maiden World Championship final but does nation proud

Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout has fallen short of his maiden 200m World Championship final, but not before sounding a warning to the rest of the world.

The 17-year-old has been nothing short of remarkable at his first World Championship, recording a time of 20.23 seconds to finish third in his heat and securing a semifinal berth.

The young Queenslander looked calm as he measured his blocks and warmed up despite drawing a tough semi draw with the sixth fastest time.

Gout made an improved start from the heat in lane four and was hanging onto the back of the leaders turning into the back straight.

However, the trademark finisher couldn’t quite find his stride in the wet conditions through the final 100, narrowly pipped for third in a slightly slower time than the heat of 20.36.

It was still an impressive run from Gout, who, even though not at his best, ran faster than six of the world’s best 200m runners in a major sign of special potential.

“It was a great race. Being able to come out here in a semifinal and do my thing is pretty incredible,” Gout told Channel 9.

“I looked back at what I did in the heat and tried to fix it in the semifinal, and that’s exactly what I did. Obviously, the conditions weren’t too good with the rain coming earlier, but I’m happy to be here and just excited.

“It’s been a great experience, coming out here at the young age of 17 is an experience not many people can experience, so I’m happy to be here.

“This is just an incredible thing for Australia as well, so I’m happy to be the one (to reignite excitement in Australian sprinting) and I can’t wait for more.”

Had Gout advanced to the Men’s 200m Final, he would have been the first Australian to do so since Patrick Johnson in 2005.

World champion American Noah Lyles ran the fastest time of 19.51 in the third semifinal.