All eyes will be on an enthralling Stawell Gift men’s 120-metre final on Monday after Gout Gout blitzed the field in his heat on Saturday afternoon.
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Gout, who started with a one-metre handicap, finished his heat with a time of 12.31 with +1.5m wind assistance.
“It feels great,” Gout said after the race.
“First time on this track. Can’t wait for the semis and hopefully the finals.”
While there was little doubting Gout would come out on top in his heat, there will be stiff competition in Monday’s final, headlined by the same man who beat him at Melbourne’s Maurie Plant Meet late last month.
Lachlan Kennedy posted a time of 12.23 in his heat and has a 0.25m handicap, meaning he will have to run 119.75m compared to Gout’s 119m.
“It’s a little bit daunting when they start so far in front of you,” Kennedy said post-race.
“You have to chase them all down. It is incredible.
“I’m (going to) give it all I’ve got on Monday.”
Kennedy’s time was the third fastest in the men’s 120m heats, with John Evans (12.13) the quickest, while Gout didn’t finish inside the top 10.
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Evans told Australian Athletics earlier in the week that the prospect of facing the likes of Kennedy and Gout was “pretty scary”.
“They both have been running extremely well, so it’s going to be intense trying to hold them off for as long as I can,” he added.
2018 Stawell Gift champion Jacob Despard said he was “excited to race Gout and see if the hype is real”.
“Gout is an incredible talent, but he’s only 17 and hasn’t proven himself against the men yet,” the Australian relay team member added.
“We need to remember he is still a kid. Let him develop and grow without putting too much pressure on him.”
Defending champion Jack Lacey, who has a six-metre handicap, won his heat and will also compete in Monday’s semi-finals.
The semi-finals are scheduled for 12.43pm AEST on Monday, with the final at 2.20pm.
The winner of Australia’s oldest footrace will pocket $40,000.
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