Tokyo, Japan : Sha’Carri Richardson produced a stunning performance to win the Stawell Gift from scratch on Monday, powering through the field in Australia’s oldest and richest handicap footrace.
The annual 120m uphill grass-track race, held in Stawell, features handicapped starts based on athletes’ past performances. Richardson overcame a nine-metre deficit to beat Australian teenager Charlotte Nielsen, finishing with an adjusted time of 13.15 seconds.
Fresh from winning silver in the 100m at the Paris 2024 Olympics and gold in the 4x100m relay, Richardson showed her class by surging from the back of the field after narrowly qualifying for the final.
“Thank you. The love, the support… I had a great time,” she said after the race.
Richardson became only the third woman to win the event from scratch since its introduction in 1989, following Bree Rizzo (2025) and Melissa Breen (2012).
In the men’s race, her partner Christian Coleman, the 2019 world 100m champion, failed to progress beyond the semi-finals, while Australia’s Olufemi Komolafe claimed victory.
The historic race has been staged every Easter weekend since 1878, except during World War II and in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation.
