American sprinter produces 'extraordinary' feat to smash world record

US sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson made history with an incredible performance and victory at the unique Stawell Gift race in Australia.

Every year over Easter Weekend in Stawell, Victoria - just outside of Melbourne, a 120m race sprint race takes place on grass.

The race, Australia's oldest, has been going on since 1878 and is very different in many aspects. In addition to the drastically differently terrain, the race is handicapped.

That means that unlike in normal circumstances, not everybody starts on the finishing line. Competitors start at different points, with their starting mark determined by form and ability.

It means that some sprinters get an advantage and headstart. But that was not the case for Richardson, the sixth-fastest woman in the world, as she was a "scratch" runner who had up to nine-metres to make up in distance after beginning right at the back.

The 26-year-old raced alongside local athletes in her debut Stawell Gift appearance and made a huge splash by becoming only the third woman to win from scratch.

The commentator describing the action called the achievement "epic, "the stuff of legends" and "extraordinary" after Richardison sprinted past five opponents ahead to cross the line with a record time of 13.15 seconds.

Charlotte Nielsen, who had the nine-metre advantage, led for the majority of the race but was overtaken by Richardson

Richardson collected $40,000 in prize money celebrated by embracing her boyfriend Christian Coleman, who did not make the men's final after finishing fifth in the semi-final.

"The race was phenomenal," Richardson reflected to reporters afterwards.

"(I've been) focusing in on the race execution me and my coach Dennis (Mitchell) have been working on and using this as a race to utilise those new gears and show them off."

"I don't see it as any less than a regular race, the worlds, Olympics ... every single time you have the chance to touch the track, you use that chance."

In the men's final which Coleman did not qualify for, 21-year-old Australian Olufemi Komolafe won with a time of 11.93 seconds.

Richardison is an Olympic 100m silver medallist and also won the 100m world title in 2023. She also claimed gold as part of the US' 4x100m relay triumph in Paris and replicated the feat in the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.