OSTRAVA: Sweden’s Armand Duplantis won pole vault at the Golden Spike meet in Czech Republic on Tuesday, as Australian Gout Gout improved his 200 metres personal best to 20.02 seconds.

Duplantis cleared 6.13m in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava before failing to get over 6.29 metres for what would have been a new world record nine days after setting his latest one at 6.28m.

The 25-year-old double Olympic champion was in a league of his own once again as second-placed Emmanouil Karalis of Greece did not even get close to clearing 6.02m.

“I feel pretty good about it. I can’t complain too much. Overall I feel like I jumped really well,” Duplantis said.

Gout Gout, who had run 200m in a wind-assisted 19.84 seconds in April, stormed to a convincing win in a new Australian record in his first race in Europe.

The 17-year-old ran a textbook race in his European debut, crossing the line 0.17 seconds ahead of Cuban Reynier Mena, while Briton Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (20.60) was third.

“I feel good. New personal best, new national record in my first European race,” the Queensland schoolboy told reporters.

“I don’t feel any pressure. Because as soon as I step out on that track, it’s just me by myself and what Ive got to do my favourite thing, and that’s to run.

“So, I just go out there and run and nothing stops me from doing that ... Get some more races in me and (the 20-second barrier) will drop for sure.”

Reigning Olympic champion Grant Holloway lost to US compatriot Dylan Beard in the 110m hurdles for the second time in four days.

Holloway only finished fifth at the Diamond League in Paris last Friday as Beard took the second spot.

In Ostrava, Beard edged a slowing Holloway on the finish line with both clocking 13.13 seconds.

“This is not the way I execute the race,” Holloway said before admitting “the time is all right”.

South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso won the women’s 800m in 1:57.16, the second fastest time this season.

In the 400m, Femke Bol, a triple medallist from the Paris Olympics last year, only took the third spot in her first start in the event this season, after focusing on 400m hurdles.

Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain won in 49.15 seconds with Bol clocking 49.98sec.

Eighteen-year-old Kenyan Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech won the men’s 1500 metres in 3:29.05, trailing his time in Paris last week by just over a second.

Thelma Davies of Liberia topped the women’s 100m in an impressive national record of 10.91 seconds.

Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan won the women’s 110m hurdles in 12.45 seconds.

Serbia’s Adriana Vilagos upset reigning Olympic and Diamond League champion Haruka Kitaguchi to win the women’s javelin with 64.87m, topping the Japanese by 99 centimetres.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2025