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Sha’Carri Richardson thought running at the Stawell Gift would be “glorified practice”. In reality, her heat felt more like playing tag in the playground, chasing down the women who all had big head starts.
Half the field started 10 metres ahead of her. Her nearest runner on the blocks got a seven-metre head start.
Hilariously, the Olympic gold medallist caught them all within 70 metres and had such a big lead she completely shut down with 20 metres to go and jogged to the line. For the sake of the record, she ran 13.82 seconds, which is also completely irrelevant given how early she pulled up.
Sha’Carri Richardson was able to jog the last 20 metres of her Stawell Gift heat. Luke Hemer
“It felt like a game of tag, if that makes sense,” Richardson said.
“It felt fun actually getting out, like, ‘OK, I have time and the space’ and I was kind of in my own world for the first 10 metres to really work on things. Then, once I was getting up running… ‘OK now, do I see anybody? OK, I’ve got to get you, got to get you, then got to get to the line.
“It felt fun, like [being] a kid again. There was a little nervousness, I have run track plenty of times before but never like this, obviously. I was definitely nervous, but once the actual race started, and getting here and warming up, it was like, ‘This is just track, this is like everything I do for track’.
“I was super happy and then getting on the track the nerves went away – ‘OK, it’s time to run now’ on the blocks, and the other ladies lined up it was like, ‘Just do what I know to do’ and that’s run.
“I definitely shut it down because it is only prelims [heats] – we have got to save some juice for [the] semis and final.
“I was just running. My race strategy was to just focus on the first 60, and then 60 out just free fall – it’s prelims, semi-finals and finals it’s straight to the line.”
Richardson’s partner Christian Coleman, also a world champion both indoors and outdoors, and likewise running off scratch, didn’t have the luxury of powering down in his heat, needing all 120 metres to drag in the field. He won in 12.68s.
“It was different,” Coleman said with a laugh about the race, on grass in roped lanes, running towards a tree on the bank just over the fence at Stawell’s Central Park.
Sha’Carri Richardson with the crowd in Stawell.
“I gave it all I got. I felt pretty good about it, but I know I got more in the tank for the semi, so I’m excited.
“I think it’s a good training tool, and a really good opportunity for me to work on my weaknesses.”
As a world 100m champion and the world record holder over 60m indoors, he is a notoriously fast starter. The extra distance for the 120m gift tested him.
Sha’Carri Richardson warming up before her heat.
“In the 100 I get out pretty well, and I fade a little bit, so I have been working on staying tall get my knees up,” Coleman said.
“Obviously, I had to go past the 100 here so I have been using it just for that.
“We train 120s, 200s, 250s, so it felt like we do in training. It’s different [racing on grass] but I’m embracing it. I have been learning about the history of why its 120 metres, and the history of the stadium and everything, so it’s great to embrace.
“Oh [I’ve] most definitely got more in me for Monday, so [I] am excited.”
The quickest heat time of 12.11s was run by Olufemi Komolafe off five metres.
Sha’Carri Richardson and Christian Coleman arrived at Stawell on Friday in a helicopter.Luke Hemer / Stawell Gift
The 120m Gift distance originated in a challenge between drinkers in two rival South Yorkshire pubs to decide who was the quicker to run between the pubs 130 yards (120 metres) apart.
Seeing two of the greatest sprinters in the world race in a small western Victorian town felt incongruous. It did for them too, but they embraced it. The couple flew to Stawell by helicopter, getting a grasp of how remote the small town is.
“The country vibe is a lovely vibe, it’s very free, very relaxing and homey – everybody knows everybody, everybody is feeling everyone’s energy, and they are so appreciative of track and field, which is something that we as athletes travelling the world, we don’t get that often – but travelling here I already know that Stawell loves track,” Richardson said.
“I had no idea how remote it was until getting here, but the love and the pride of the town is something that stands so strong and on its own.
“This is probably one of the best energies for track and field here at Stawell I have ever felt. That says a lot – I have been to six continents.”
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Michael Gleeson is an award-winning senior sports writer specialising in AFL and athletics.Connect via X or email.From our partners