Gout Gout's speed has stunned the world, but he's about to get a head start
Teen sprint sensation Gout Gout has not been dealt the toughest handicap of the Stawell Gift's men's 120-metre field.
That mark has been given to Lachlan Kennedy — the guy who produced a boilover victory over Gout in the 200m at Melbourne's Maurie Plant Meet late last month.
Just over a month out from the iconic event held on the grass of Central Park, the Victorian Athletic League (VAL) revealed on Tuesday that Gout would start off one metre — in other words, he will run 119m — and Kennedy off 0.25m, meaning he will have to run 119.75m.
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There had been talk that Gout and/or Kennedy may be given a handicap of scratch, in which case they'd have to start as far back as possible at the Easter long weekend event, but chief handicapper Colin Lane opted against that after weighing up ability and recent results.
At last month's Maurie Plant Meet, in a 200m race that left those tuned in shocked, Kennedy beat Gout by four hundredths of a second. Kennedy, 21, won in 20.26 seconds, as his 17-year-old rival took second in 20.30.
Lachlan Kennedy (right) beats Gout Gout in the 200 metres at Melbourne's Maurie Plant Meet last month. Getty
Jacob Despard, the 2018 winner of the Stawell Gift, and Ryan Tarrant, the 2023 champion, have both received a handicap of 1.75m.
Jack Hale, a member of the Australian 4x100m relay team at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, will start off 2.00m.
Reigning champion Jack Lacey was given a mark of 6.00m.
A men's 120m field of 172 athletes was unveiled by the VAL, with runners given marks ranging from 10m to 0.25m.
In the women's 120m, reigning champion Chloe Mannix-Power and Paris 2024 Olympian Bree Rizzo (née Masters) will both start off scratch in a field featuring 135 runners.
The winner of both the men's and women's 120m races will pocket $40,000.
Lachlan Kennedy celebrates clinching silver in the 60 metres at the world athletics indoor championships in China last month. Getty
Trent Taylor, a key man involved in organising the Stawell Gift, said the handicapper's decision to give Gout a head start on Kennedy was "justified".
"In most people's consciousness is Maurie [the 200m race at last month's Maurie Plant Meet], and Lachie's come off that 60m silver [at the world indoor championships] in China ... so people shouldn't be surprised that Lachie's the backmarker," Taylor, the managing director of 360 Sport and Entertainment, told Wide World of Sports.
"There are 27 athletes under 5.00m, so it's a pretty strong field.
"I think it's a pretty fair assessment."
Jacob Despard celebrates conquering the Stawell Gift in 2018. Getty
Taylor wasn't willing to predict a winner, but he's not writing off Kennedy.
"Lachie's start is phenomenal, right? And that's testament to his 60m speed," he said.
"So if he can make up that gap quick, which is only three quarters of a metre to Gout and 1.5 metres to Ryan and to Jacob, he's every chance of a shot at the win."
Gout and Kennedy will square off in the 200m at the national athletics championships in Perth this week.
Gout will compete in the under-20 field in the 100m and in the open field in the longer sprint.
