Source :- THE AGE NEWS
By Michael Gleeson
The power went out before Gout Gout ran. Then he finished second in his semi-final and the electricity that had crackled around Stawell’s packed Central Park completely disappeared from the Gift.
First Lachlan Kennedy, the man who only weeks ago ran 10 seconds for the 100 metres in the heat of the national titles, was pipped at the line in his own semi-final.
Gout Gout finished second in his semi-final of the Stawell Gift.Credit: Luke Hemer
Then Gout ran out of track to make up the 9.75m handicap on South Australian John Evans, who ran first in 12.1s. Gout finished in 12.34s from his 1m mark.
The handicappers didn’t have a great day when two of the fastest men in Australia can’t get through the semis.
With rain lashing and strong headwinds gusting up, the cold conditions were not conducive to quick times.
“Obviously, running in the rain is a bit harder than usual, but you’ve just got to adjust and just keep running,” Gout said.
“He was pretty ahead of me, so I tried my hardest hit, and he got me at the end. So it is what it is. Good run.
“I mean, this stuff you can’t control. So, I mean, I just go out there and run and have fun.
“This meet is incredible, and the crowd’s incredible. So I’m definitely happy to run and happy to be in the semi-final.”
Gout now runs a back markers’ race
Kennedy ran 12.23s and was beaten by Dash Muir, who like Gout is only 17 and doing year 12. The Williamstown Secondary student ran 12.18s.
“I just tightened up a little bit. The rain came in, got a bit cold, but I mean he ran a great race. It was close in the end, but yes, didn’t have enough today,” Kennedy said.
“He definitely had a healthy bit (lead) on me, but I knew I’d have to run pretty much a perfect race to get him. And, I mean, he killed it out there. He ran 12 one to a headwind.
“I mean, props to him and the wind, like you said, pretty bad, pretty yeah, pretty healthy, headwind. A bit of rain coming in right as we had to go so not the best [but] I mean everyone’s running under the same conditions, so can’t complain too much. Well, handicapped racing.”
In the women’s Gift final, Bree Rizzo powered to victory.
She had earlier won her semi-final comfortably enough to celebrate as she crossed the line.
Rizzo, an Olympic silver medallist, has now matched husband Matt, who won the men’s race as an 18-year-old in 2017.
Bree Rizzo is in to the final.Credit: Luke Hemer
Teenagers Grace Crowe and Armani Anderson, Jemma Stapleton, Chiara Santiglia and Jasmine Rowe also ran in the final.
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