Gout Gout will join several legends of the track when he contests the Stawell Gift over Easter

The Stawell Gift has a famous list of champions and of Olympic gold medallists who couldn’t get the job done. SCOTT GULLAN profiles some of the prominent names to have attempted the handicap.

He is the most exciting thing to happen to Australian athletics in a long time and over the Easter Weekend Gout Gout will make the trek to the Stawell Gift.

Gout Gout will be running in the footsteps on legends at the Stawell Gift. Picture: Supplied

The 17-year-old will join a long list of high-profile sprinters who have attempted to write their names into the history books, some have been successful while others have spectacularly failed, but they have all played a part in the rich fabric of Australia’s oldest footrace.

Notable athletes to have contested the Stawell Gift

Then: Oldest man to win an Olympic 100m title in Barcelona, he was 39 when ran off scratch in Stawell.

Now: BBC released a documentary ‘Linford’ on his life last year.

Britain’s Olympic 100m champion brought an entourage to Stawell but he didn’t see the Monday. After losing to eventual winner Rod Matthews in the heat Christie ran in the repechage, finishing second which qualified him for the semi-finals. But a back-related hamstring injury along with cracking it about the handicapping saw Christie hire cars and return to Melbourne on Sunday.

Then: At 23 and still with hair, took advantage of the luxury mark of 7.5m.

Now: Media personality and racing expert with Channel 7 who will be at Central Park this weekend.

Won the Bill Howard 100m in 1992 and then returned the following year to romp in Gift in a very fast 11.94sec. Went on to be training partner of Olympic champion Cathy Freeman.

Makes the notable list mainly because of the story about how he came to Australia to take on the 120-metre handicap race. In an awkward mix-up relating to the handicapping system, he believed he was lining up against disabled athletes. Subsequently was beaten in heats but to his credit returned for another crack the following year.

Ran one of the fastest heat wins (12.08sec) off scratch but was run-out in the semi-final. Returned two years later and created headlines for his full length hooded lycra bodysuit.

Won Gift easily off 6.75m as a teenager and then went on to become one of Australia’s best sprinters competing in world championships and Olympic Games. Just missed winning again in 1994 when he produced a stunning race off scratch (12.18sec), a fortnight after winning the national 200m title.

World-class sprinter whose most notable result was beating Maurice Greene in Athens Grand Prix. Fell in love with Stawell and came back six times trying to win the Gift. Made the final four times, finishing second in 1998 and 2002.

The Stawell victory was the start of a memorable career for Capobianco who represented Australia at two Olympic Games. Best remembered for a four-year drug ban after a 1996 positive steroid result which he claimed was because of eating too much red meat before a drugs test.

The popular Jamaican and Olympic relay gold medallist realised midway through his Gift heat the enormity of the handicap system and suddenly felt his hamstring tighten. Still finished third which qualified him for the semi-finals but decided to take no risks and pulled out of the event.

Became an overnight sensation after winning 2003 Gift. Narrowly missed the 100m final at 2004 Athens Olympics and then made history in Stawell the following year, becoming only the second man to win off scratch and just the third sprinter to win the Gift twice. The fifth fastest man in Australian history.

Brought to Stawell by promoter John Toleman and was 15/1 before his semi-final in cold and wet conditions. After a dominant semi-final victory he started odds-on favourite and repeated the performance to become the first athlete to win the Gift from scratch.

Originally published as Gout Gout will join several legends of the track when he contests the Stawell Gift over Easter