Stawell Gift brings in massive crowd numbers as two young guns cause surprise.

Stawell Gift Draws Huge Crowds as Gout Gout and Lachlan Kennedy Fail to Make It Past the Semi-Finals

This Easter Monday, we saw some of the best athletes from across Australia head to the small town of Stawell for the annual Stawell Gift at Central Park. Athletics in Australia has grown significantly in popularity over the past year, thanks in part to the rise of young Aussie runners Gout Gout and Lachlan Kennedy.

Central Park, Stawell. Host of the Stawell Gift

For this year’s Stawell Gift, Gout was reportedly paid $50,000 to appear, courtesy of Stawell local Sandy McGregor — and the investment paid off, with huge crowds flocking to Central Park for the event.

For those who aren’t familiar, the Stawell Gift is a handicapped race based on each runner's recent performances. Due to Gout Gout’s record-breaking runs and comparisons to some of the fastest men of all time, he was heavily handicapped in his semi-final. Unfortunately for Gout, he wasn’t able to overcome the disadvantage, finishing second and narrowly missing out on a spot in the final of the men’s 120m.

The other big drawcard, Lachie Kennedy, faced a similar fate. Like Gout, he was given a significant handicap and also finished second in his semi-final, unable to secure a place in the final.

However, the handicaps weren’t the only factor. Wet weather conditions on the day meant both runners were unable to reach their top speeds on the damp track.

With Gout and Kennedy out of the final, the men’s race was won by John Evans — a high school teacher from South Australia — who took home $40,000 for his victory in the iconic Stawell Gift.

On the women’s side, Bree Rizzo made history by winning the women’s 120m off scratch, becoming only the second woman ever to do so. She now joins her husband, Matthew, as a winner of the Stawell Gift, marking a unique chapter in the event’s storied history.

As Australians, we look forward to seeing some of these runners in Los Angeles in 2028, competing for Olympic gold and hopefully bringing home some rare track and field medals to the land down under.