Australian 200m record holder Gout Gout has it all ahead of him to make the the final of the Stawell Gift after drawing short-priced favourite John Evans in his semi-final.
Photos by Luke Hemer courtesy of Stawell Gift
Evans was the fastest qualifier from Saturday’s heats clocking 12.14 seconds off his 9.75m mark, while Gout was 12th fastest in 12.31 seconds, running from 1 metre.
Under the zig-zag seeding for the six semi-finals it means Gout lines up in the same semi-final as Evans.
“I definitely enjoyed today, the atmosphere was intense,” Evans said.
“But Monday is a brand-new day. I’m a teacher, and the kids loved hearing I’d be racing Gout Gout. He created such a buzz at the track today.”
There’s $40,000 on the line for the winner of the Stawell Gift, but Gout’s pockets are already lined after receiving a $50,000 appearance fee to compete in the meet, which has already drawn record crowds.
Australia’s fastest man at 10.00s, Lachlan Kennedy, runs in a different semi-final and is poised for the final after this 12.23s victory off 0.25m. It was the third fastest heat performance after Evans and Jasper Thomas (12.22s; 6.5m).
| Rank | Name | Mark* | Time** |
| 1 | John Evans | 9.75m | 12.14 |
| 2 | Jasper Thomas | 6.5m | 12.22 |
| 3 | Lachlan Kennedy | 0.25m | 12.23 |
| 4 | Jack Hale | 2.25m | 12.25 |
| 5 | Joshua Lotsu | 5.5m | 12.26 |
| 6 | HUGH Sharman | 7.5m | 12.27 |
| =7 | Mitchell ONeill | 4.75m | 12.28 |
| =7 | Hamish Lindstrom | 4m | 12.28 |
| =9 | Patrick Martin | 8.5m | 12.29 |
| =9 | Dash Muir | 7.75m | 12.29 |
| =11 | Michael Moschou | 4m | 12.31 |
| =11 | Gout Gout | 1m | 12.31 |
| 13 | Jesse Cordoma | 8.75m | 12.32 |
| 14 | Ryan Tarrant | 1.75m | 12.33 |
| 15 | Jacob Despard | 1.75m | 12.34 |
* Mark is how far in front of the scratch distance of 120m the runner starts. NB: This is where the front block is placed, not the hands, so does not represent the exact distance run by the athlete.
** Times are adjusted to account for wind using a Victorian Athletic League formula.
Kennedy was clearly the fastest runner of the heats, covering the ground over 0.1 m/s faster than Gout.
| Name | Mark* | Time** | Speed (m/s)** |
| Lachlan Kennedy | 0.25m | 12.23 | 9.79 |
| Gout Gout | 1m | 12.31 | 9.67 |
| Jack Hale | 2.25m | 12.25 | 9.61 |
| Ryan Tarrant | 1.75m | 12.38 | 9.56 |
| Jacob Despard | 1.75m | 12.39 | 9.55 |
In the women’s gift backmarker Bree Rizzo is the sentimental favourite to follow in the footsteps of her husband Matt, who won the 2017 men’s event. Running off scratch she was ninth fastest in the heats (13.91s) behind Jasmine Rowe (13.74s; 11m), Jemma Stapleton (13.75s; 11m) and Australian 400m champion, Ellie Beer (13.81s; 6m).
Defending champion, Chloe Mannix-Power ran 13.95s off scratch, while 2023 winner, Australian 400m silver medallist, Bella Pasquali, won her heat in 14.07s off a mark of 2.75m.
| Rank | Name | Mark* | Time** |
| 1 | Jasmine Rowe | 11m | 13.74 |
| 2 | Jemma Stapleton | 11m | 13.75 |
| 3 | Ellie Beer | 6m | 13.81 |
| 4 | Nyajima Jock | 3.5m | 13.83 |
| 5 | Chiara Santiglia | 7.75m | 13.86 |
| 6 | Olivia Hastings | 2.75m | 13.87 |
| 7 | Armani Anderson | 5.75m | 13.88 |
| 8 | Jess Mead | 7.25m | 13.90 |
| 9 | Bree Rizzo | 0m | 13.91 |
| 10 | Grace Crowe | 4.75m | 13.92 |
| 11 | Carla Bull | 2.75m | 13.93 |
| =12 | Alexia Loizou | 2.75m | 13.95 |
| =12 | Kayla Montagner | 7m | 13.95 |
| =12 | Chloe Mannix-power | 0m | 13.95 |
| 15 | Felicity Grice | 6.5m | 13.97 |
| Rank | Name | Mark* | Time** | Speed (m/s)** |
| 1 | Bree Rizzo | 0m | 13.91 | 8.63 |
| 2 | Chloe Mannix-Power | 0m | 13.95 | 8.60 |
| 3 | Olivia Hastings | 2.75m | 13.87 | 8.45 |
| =4 | Nyajima Jock | 3.5m | 13.83 | 8.42 |
| =5 | Carla Bull | 2.75m | 13.93 | 8.42 |
| 6 | Alexia Loizou | 2.75m | 13.95 | 8.41 |
| 7 | Bella Pasquali | 2.75m | 14.07 | 8.33 |
| 8 | Amaya Mearns | 2.25m | 14.17 | 8.31 |
The semi-finals and finals of the Stawell Gift will be run on Easter Monday, with $40,000 in store for the winner of each of the men’s and women’s events.
