General News
10 March, 2026
World sprint stars set for Stawell Gift
TWO of the fastest sprinters on the planet are heading to Stawell this Easter, with American stars Sha’Carri Richardson and Christian Coleman set to compete at the historic Stawell Gift.
Organisers say the signing will deliver unprecedented international attention for the iconic Victorian footrace — and a major opportunity for the town itself.
The news emerged earlier than expected this week after details circulated ahead of the official announcement. Formal confirmation is expected next week from Stawell Gift Event Management alongside government representatives and Channel Seven commentators.
For Stawell Gift Event Management chair Murray Emerson, the scale of the opportunity for the community is enormous.
“The better the event, the more people we hope will turn up,” Mr Emerson said on Wednesday.
“And then of course the businesses in the community have to capitalise on that.”
Richardson, the 2023 100m world champion and an Olympic gold medallist in the relay, is one of the most recognisable athletes in world athletics and is expected to draw worldwide attention to the famous grass track.
Coleman won the 100m at the 2019 World Championships in Doha and has been a regular contender on the global sprinting circuit, earning a reputation for explosive starts and frequent sub-10-second runs.
Elite sprinters of Richardson and Coleman’s calibre rarely compete in professional handicapped races like the Stawell Gift. Unlike international championships run on synthetic tracks from even starting blocks, the Gift is contested on grass under a handicap system designed to give lesser-known runners a chance against the fastest athletes in the field.
Mr Emerson said Richardson’s appearance would deliver enormous exposure for the event.
Richardson’s profile extends far beyond athletics. Known for her blistering speed as well as her flamboyant style — brightly coloured hair, long painted nails and a bold on-track personality — she has become one of the sport’s most recognisable figures.
The International Olympic Committee describes Richardson as an athlete celebrated not only for her speed but also for a distinctive style that has made her an iconic figure in global athletics.
Her rise to the top of the sport has been dramatic.
In 2019 she broke two under-20 world records at the NCAA Division I Championships, running 10.75 seconds to win the 100 metres before later eclipsing Allyson Felix’s U20 record in the 200 metres.
After missing the Tokyo Olympics due to a suspension following a positive test for cannabis at the US trials, Richardson returned to the top of the sport in 2023 when she stormed to victory in the 100 metres at the World Championships in Budapest in a championship record 10.65 seconds.
She followed that with bronze in the 200 metres and gold in the 4×100 metre relay.
At the Paris Olympics in 2024 she claimed silver in the 100 metres before anchoring the United States to gold in the relay.
Securing athletes of that calibre has taken months of work behind the scenes.
“A lot of hard work,” Mr Emerson said.
“We’re always on the lookout for marquee athletes year to year. Some years we’ve had a few over the years. We even tried to get Usain Bolt once — but he was out of our league.”
Mr Emerson said the breakthrough came through international recruitment work by Sports 360 operator Trent Taylor, alongside athlete manager Jason Richardson and others involved in identifying athletes capable of bringing global attention to the event.
“This year that’s fallen very favourably,” he said.
But bringing athletes of that stature to a regional event does come with risk.
“There’s a bit of risk with it all because it comes at a cost,” Mr Emerson said.
“We’ve got to make sure we attract enough people to make it viable.”
Early signs are promising.
Mr Emerson said the news — even before being formally announced — had already sparked a surge of interest.
“We did have a bit of a spike in ticket sales today,” he said.
The Stawell Gift, first run in 1878, is Australia’s richest and most prestigious professional footrace and has long been a centrepiece of the Easter weekend in western Victoria.
After the success of last year’s carnival, Emerson believes the bar has now been raised again.
“I was actually talking to some of the board about what we’re going to do next year,” he said.
“Now that we’ve achieved this, it will be a pretty big ask.”
Read More: Stawell