American track and field superstar Sha’Carri Richardson has won the 2026 Stawell Gift from scratch, becoming the iconic Australian meet’s “most famous winner ever”.
The Olympic gold medallist and four-time world champion became the second consecutive woman to win the race off the back marker when she mowed down Aussie teenager Charlotte Nielsen in the final few metres.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Sha’Carri Richardson wins Stawell Gift from scratch
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“Sha’Carri’s running her down, running her down, it’s so close… she’s got up! She’s come from the clouds,” Bruce McAvaney said on Channel 7.
“It’s one of the moments we will never forget. Stawell has its most famous winner ever.
“It’s epic, iconic, the stuff of legends. I’m tingling. It’s extraordinary, what she did.
“We are never, ever going to forget what we just saw.”
Richardson follows Aussie Bree Rizzo, who won the Stawell Gift from scratch in 2025.
Before the race, McAvaney said Richardson would “have to be perfect” to win the race.
And perfect she was, stopping the clock at a frighteningly fast 13.15 for the 120m uphill grass event.
“Can you believe it? It’s out of this world,” McAvaney said of the time.
“Nielsen has run the race of her life, the teenager. She was clear.
“Richardson, Sha’Carri couldn’t really win, could she? She couldn’t get there… could she? Would she? You betcha. Have a look at her.”
It came after the superstar 26-year-old almost failed to qualify for the final when she flirted with danger in the semi.
Richardson flew through the field in the semi to take the lead well before the finish line, but pulled up several metres before the line and didn’t even bother to dip her chest, almost costing her the win.
“She actually stood straight up on the line, (but) I think she’s through to the final,” McAvaney said.
“It’s absolutely drama at its highest. Only in the last centimetres do we think Sha’Carri’s got there.
“She didn’t dip at all; she actually almost leant back.”
Tamsyn Lewis-Manou added: “Oh my goodness, Sha’Carri, please make sure you run through the line in that final because you gave us a heart attack there!
“I’m glad she knew what she was doing, she was so fast out of the blocks, so fast through that middle phase — I mean, she’s a world champion.”
More to come …
