Gout Gout's true character clear to see after 17-year-old's World Championships blow

Sprint prodigy Gout Gout demonstrated remarkable maturity despite falling short of securing a spot in the 200m final at the World Athletics Championship. The exceptional 17-year-old Australian, who has been likened to sprint legend Usain Bolt, earned his place in the semi-finals in Tokyo after clocking 20.23 in his heat.

Nevertheless, Gout narrowly missed out on reaching the final. Required to finish amongst the top two, he endured a poor start and found himself in eighth position as he rounded the bend. The teenager fought back admirably down the home straight, surging through the field to claim fourth place in 20.36, though this proved insufficient for final qualification.

He crossed the line behind Jamaica's Bryan Levell (19.78), Botswana's Letsile Tebogo (19.95) and America's Courtney Lindsey (20.30). Highlighting the exceptional standard of competition Gout faced, every athlete who progressed to the final recorded sub-20-second times in their semi.

Despite the disappointment, it remained a display he could take pride in, earning further praise for his gracious and modest response following the race. Television commentators observed the youngster approaching each competitor to offer congratulations with a handshake.

Speaking to Channel 9 afterwards, he reflected: "It's been a great experience. Just to come out here at the young age of 17 is an experience not many people can experience. So I'm happy to be here. Tokyo is one of the things I've wanted to visit for a long time, and to visit it and get that World Championship is to my dreams come true. So definitely happy to be here. Being able to come out here in the semi-final and do my thing, it's pretty, pretty incredible."

In the final, Noah Lyles became only the second athlete in history to claim four consecutive men's 200m crowns at the World Championship. Lyles powered to gold in 19.52 to join Bolt as the sole duo to achieve the remarkable feat (2009 to 2015). Lyles managed to fend off Kenneth Bednarek (19.58) in an American one-two finish.

Jamaica's Bryan Levell completed the podium with a personal best of 19.64. Britain's Zharnel Hughes finished fifth, clocking a season-best time of 19.78. Meanwhile, Amy Hunt erupted into tears immediately after racing to a spectacular silver medal in the women's 200m final.

It marked Great Britain's second podium finish of the championships, secured in 22.14 seconds behind the United States' Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, already the 100m champion in Japan, who hit the line in 21.68s. Shericka Jackson claimed bronze for Jamaica in 22.18s, whilst Dina Asher-Smith placed fifth.

The race needed a restart after the Bahamas' Anthonique Strachan was disqualified for a false start. Hunt told the BBC: "I have not stopped smiling or crying! As soon as I saw my mum, I burst into tears. I knew I could do it, as long as I put in a good turn and was with them off the bend. I am so proud of myself. I just beat some amazing girls and I can't believe it."