The small rural town of Stawell, located roughly 235 kilometers west of Melbourne, Australia, played host to the opening heats of the iconic 144th Stawell Gift on Saturday, where two of the world’s top American sprinters turned in impressive performances to punch their tickets to Monday’s semifinal round. Sha’Carri Richardson, the 2024 Paris Olympic 100-meter silver medalist and 4×100-meter relay gold medalist, and Christian Coleman, a former 100m world champion, both crossed the finish line first in their respective preliminary heats, advancing to the next stage of the unique 120-meter grass handicap race.
Unlike standard sprint events, the Stawell Gift uses a handicap seeding system that gives slower competitors a head start over faster entrants. Both top American sprinters started from “scratch”—meaning they were required to run the full 120-meter distance, while some of their opponents were given head starts of up to 25 meters. In her heat, Richardson conceded a 10-meter head start to her closest seeded rival, but still crossed the line first with a time of 13.815 seconds. Coleman posted a winning time of 12.681 seconds to claim his heat.
Speaking to Australia’s Seven Network after her opening race, Richardson reflected on her first outing of the 2026 season, describing the experience as a nostalgic reminder of why she fell in love with the sport. “My experience so far is just reminding me what track and field feels like — love the respect and also fun,” she said. “It felt like being a kid again, playing tag, like playing rabbit. I had a great time, and it just kind of woke my body up with this being the first time running in 2026… chasing everyone actually made me activate and work on my race pattern.”
Richardson, who has long embraced competitive challenges, spoke earlier this week about her excitement for the event’s unconventional handicap format in comments shared on the Australian Athletics website. “I’ve been known to be a chaser in a couple of races, so actually the challenge of the stagger makes me more technical and sound, and with that comes great results,” she said.
For Coleman, the reverse starting position presented a useful early-season test. Known for his explosive opening strides that usually put him out in front from the start, the former world champion said chasing down opponents would be a valuable change of pace to kick off his year. “I’m usually leading from the front and people are trying to come catch me. I feel that this will be the perfect start to the season, to have some fun, but also be able to work on the things I have been practicing,” he said.
Monday’s competition will feature six semifinal heats for both the men’s and women’s divisions, with each heat winner advancing to the final later that day. Historically, starting from scratch is a massive disadvantage: only two men and two women have ever claimed the Stawell Gift title starting from the full distance. More than 700 competitors are taking part in this year’s event, including many of Australia’s top domestic sprint talents. The winner of both the men’s and women’s finals will take home a prize purse of 40,000 Australian dollars, equal to roughly $27,500 U.S.
Organizers have not publicly confirmed whether Richardson or Coleman received appearance fees to compete in the event. Last year, Australian media reported that top domestic sprinter Gout Gout received 50,000 Australian dollars ($35,000 U.S.) to compete, though he was eliminated in the semifinal round. The report also confirmed that Richardson and Coleman are still in a romantic relationship, despite a domestic violence charge filed against Richardson last July.