Teenage sensation Gout Gout, the fastest Australian man ever over 200m, will not be the backmarker for the Stawell Gift.
Gout, has still been given a difficult 1m mark but Lachie Kennedy, who won the sprint double at the recent Maurie Plant meet in Melbourne will be the back marker, with the most punishing handicap of 0.25m.
Teenage star Gout is helping drive interest in athletics.Credit: Australian Athletics
The 21-year-old Kennedy recently narrowly defeated Gout over 200m in Melbourne, the same night he also took out the 100m sprint.
The pair have the hardest handicaps for the famous Stawell Gift held over the Easter long weekend, culminating with the 120m race final on Easter Monday. The men’s and women’s winners each pocket $40,000.
The two Queenslanders will go head to head over 200m again this weekend at the Australian championships in Perth.
Both will also run the 100m sprint at the national titles, but Gout – who is still only 17 – will run the under-20 100m spring, while Kennedy will run the open race with his eyes firmly not only on winning but breaking 10 seconds.
Gout Gout.Credit: Getty Images
Former schoolboy champion, Tasmanian Jack Hale will run from 6 metres, the same mark that last year’s winner Jack Lacey has been pulled back to this year.
In the women’s gift, defending champ Chloe Mannix-Power will run from scratch along with Paris Olympics 100m semi-finalist Bree Rizzo.
