- Teenage sprinter Gout Gout has been eliminated from Stawell Gift
- Lachlan Kennedy was also knocked out in the semi final of event
By JAMES COONEY FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA and JOHN SALVADO FOR AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: | Updated:
Teenage sprinter Gout Gout's highly anticipated Stawell Gift showdown with rival Lachlan Kennedy will not take place after both athletes missed out on the final.
John Evans, a South Australian teacher, stunned the schoolboy in the sixth and final semi, resulting in the 17-year-old not qualifying for the Stawell Gift decider.
Evans, who went on to also win the final later in the afternoon, blitzed the semi in a scorching time of 12.10seconds.
Gout put in a huge effort to almost claim victory, but ran out of time.
Kennedy was also unable to overcome his backmark and has missed out on the final after being beaten by Dash Muir.
The other semi-final winners were Jasper Thomas, Mitchell O'Neill, Patrick Martin and Joshua Lotsu.
Big guns Lachlan Kennedy and Gout Gout have both been eliminated in the semi-finals of the Stawell Gift
John Evans, a South Australian school teacher, stunned Gout in the sixth and final semi
Unheralded Adelaide schoolteacher John Evans won the Stawell Gift after beating Gout Gout in the semi
Evansbacked up with aplomb to win the final of the 143rd edition of the celebrated 120m handicap race.
Racing off a mark of 9.75m, the 28-year-old Evans flew home to win the final in 11.94 seconds, well clear of Jasper Thomas and Mitchell O'Neill.
Evans followed in the footsteps of his coach Paul Young, who won the 1985 Gift.
The women's Gift was won by scratchmarker and Paris Olympics 100m semi-finalist Bree Rizzo in 13.56.
Rizzo's husband Matt Rizzo won the men's Gift in 2017 and the pair first met at Central Park two years later.
Despite the shock loss, Gout was all class with his fans following the sprint - making sure he high-fived as many as possible.
The teen will pocket $50,000 from his appearance, so he has plenty to smile about.
'It's been a pretty stressful couple of days,' Evans told Channel 7.
'My girlfriend will tell you it's been all nerves, but that's what the Stawell Gift is about.
Evans was in blistering form during the 2025 edition of the Gift
Lachlan Kennedy was a close second in the first semi won by highly rated Melbourne 17-year-old Dash Muir
'But a fantastic opportunity. Someone like myself will never get the chance to race against the likes of Gout Gout and Lachlan Kennedy, all these top stars.
'You look at the footage, I look across and I can see him like 'gee whiz'. He had me scared for a second. I could hear all the crowd hyping up, the commentators.'
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