Source : ABC NEWS
As he crossed the finish line of the 2026 Stawell Gift men’s final in western Victoria, sprinter Olufemi ‘Femi’ Komolafe was hundreds of kilometres away from his birth city of Broken Hill.
It was a day to remember for the 21-year-old, who won Australia’s richest and oldest running race and set a new personal best over the Easter weekend.
He is now just the second Stawell Gift winner from the outback city, which his migrant parents still call home.
Loading…
As he follows their footsteps into the medical profession in Adelaide and sets his sights on new sprinting goals, his hometown is still cheering him on.
From soccer to sprinting
Komolafe was born in Broken Hill in 2004 to Olumuyiwa and Funmilola ‘Funmi’ Komolafe, both medical doctors who migrated there from Nigeria in 2002.
Komolafe said running was not on his radar in his early years, instead preferring soccer as his sport of choice.
“I was running at school meets and I was always fast, but only when I graduated from school did I start taking sprinting seriously and try to do something with it,” he said.
His former soccer coach in Broken Hill, now the city’s mayor, Tom Kennedy, said even then, young Komolafe was a natural athlete.
Coach Paul Young (right) was surprised when Olufemi Komolafe won the 2024 Marion Gift despite taking a break in training. (Supplied: Paul Young)
“I had him up forward most of the time because he was very quick [and] a really good sportsman during school carnivals,” Kennedy said.
Komolafe later moved to Adelaide in 2015, attending Prince Alfred College, before studying medicine at university.
It was during this period that he met future running coach Paul Young in October 2021.
Young, who himself won the Stawell Gift in 1985, said he saw raw talent in the young man and spent the subsequent years trying to refine it.
But speaking to ABC News Breakfast the day after Komolafe’s win, he said this had not always been easy.
Balancing running and university studies can be exhausting, but Olufemi Komolafe is dedicated to both. (Supplied: Paul Young)
“He didn’t know much about athletics when I took him on, so he had to listen and heed the instructions and understand what it’s all about,” Young said.
“For a couple of years there, he was a bit high maintenance … there was an incident in October 2024 [for] the Marion Gift and [Komolafe] hadn’t trained for 10 days, [but] he just rocked up on the Sunday and he won the gift.
“I [thought] ‘Wow, if he can do that with 10 days and not training, imagine what you can do if you properly train.’“
A bumpy road
The Stawell Gift is a handicapped, uphill 120-metre sprint held every Easter, with a $40,000 prize for first place in the men’s and women’s races.
Komolafe qualified for the race in November but was later plagued by shin splints and a hamstring injury.
Olufemi Komolafe battled through injury to prepare for the 2026 Easter weekend race. (Supplied: Paul Young)
But he found the strength to compete when he heard his idol, champion American sprinter and world record holder Christian Coleman, would be participating.
“Having him there was such an amazing thing. That was probably the biggest motivator for me to even get ready and be running,” Komolafe said.
While Komolafe ultimately met Coleman at the Stawell event, he did not get the chance to compete against him for the title.
The American was knocked out in the semi-finals when he could not make up the distance after starting from the ‘scratch’ mark, meaning he received no handicap.
Komolafe was given a 5-metre handicap, starting behind all but one of his opponents in the final race.
Olufemi Komolafe found the strength to compete after learning his idol, champion American sprinter Christian Coleman (pictured), would be there. (Reuters: Aleksandra Szmigiel)
Despite this, he was feeling confident about his chances, especially after setting a solid time in a trial run.
When he finished with a time of 12.03, a personal best according to his coach, he was exhilarated.
“It’s been such a whirlwind of a weekend, [so] I haven’t had much time to process it, but it’s just an amazing thing to have achieved,” Komolafe said.
Young, who also coached 2025 Stawell Gift winner John Evans, said Komolafe’s win was also a historic moment, being the first time a South Australian had won with less than a 6-metre handicap.
Olufemi Komolafe says it was an exhilarating feeling to win the Stawell Gift. (Joel Carrett)
Hometown celebrates achievement
Meanwhile, the city where he grew up is considering formally celebrating the young man.
“One member of the community has already asked would we put on a civic reception for him,” Kennedy said.
“And I’m very open to that … I don’t know if he’d come back [for it].
“[But] it’s been near 80 years since the last time a Broken Hill person [John Cann in 1949] won it, and I think when you have those sort of wins it’s well worth celebrating them.”
Olufemi Komolafe was born and spent his childhood years in the outback mining city of Broken Hill. (ABC News: Coquohalla Connor)
With three years to go in his medical degree, Komolafe said he had found a good balance between training and his studies, and was already thinking about future running goals.
“Next season it’s maybe [see] what I can do on the amateur track with normal 100m, 200m and see if I can make it to nationals,” he said.
“[Travelling overseas to run] is a big dream of mine.
“To maybe make the Australian relay team and run at the world relays or even Olympics, that would be great.”
