50 Years On: Ravelo’s Historic Triumph Against the Odds

Date: 17th February 2025

Since the first Stawell Gift 147 years ago there have been countless gripping narratives which define the excitement and unpredictability of the event but perhaps none more so than Jean-Louis Ravelomanantsoa’s incredible win in 1975 where he became the first runner to win the event from the scratch mark. 

The Gift’s unique handicap system is designed to offer every competitor a chance at victory, therefore those with the fastest times in previous races and a larger reputation within athletics often face the biggest challenge. As a scratch runner, Ravelo was tasked with chasing down every athlete on the track, a feat that had never been achieved in almost a century’s worth of competition and was considered by many as an impossibility. He became the 34th athlete in Stawell’s history to be allocated the mark of scratch as only 16 of the previous 33 scratchmen had even attempted the challenge.  

Endearingly referred to as ‘Ravelo’ by Gift commentators and journalists, he won the final in 12.0 seconds, approximately 30 centimetres ahead of Victorian runner Peter Marks who placed second. The Central Park crowd erupted when Ravelo crossed the line in history-making fashion with a performance that has forever etched itself into Australian sprinting folklore. 

Ravelo’s victory from the scratch mark has only been replicated once in the past 50 years when Joshua Ross matched the feat in 2005, exactly three decades later. Ravelo was also the first off scratch to qualify for the final since Irish champion Tom Malone in 1885 and the first international runner to win the Gift since American Edward Skinner in 1889. 

The Olympian from Madagascar 

Born in Madagascar whilst residing in America during the time of his Stawell Gift win, Ravelo had already built an impressive career in athletics before arriving in Stawell. A three-time Olympian representing Madagascar, Ravelo finished eighth in the 100m final at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, and in the quarterfinals, he recorded a Malagasy national record time of 10.18 which stands to this day. His other accolades include bronze medals at both the 1965 Brazzaville All-Africa Games in the 200m and the 1970 Turin University Games in the 100m. 

Ravelo clocked 6.1 seconds in 1971 to win the US Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championship over 60 yards, and in the same year equalled the world record of 5.9 seconds for the 60-yard dash. In 1972, Ravelo made it to a consecutive Olympic semi-final in Munich whilst also recording a faster heat time than all three eventual medallists. He also ran with the Madagascar 4×100 relay team in Munich. Whilst studying in the US, Ravelo was invited to Australia to compete in the Carlton & United Breweries World Sprint title as well as the Gift where he competed against 158 runners for the $3,500 winners’ purse. 

The Build-Up

With over 80 interstate competitors entering the 1975 Gift, Ravelo was just one of the seven backmarkers handicapped under the four-metre mark with Ravelo being the only placed off scratch. Ravelo only arrived in Australia on the Wednesday before the Gift commenced. Odds of 100/1 were offered on Ravelo as no prior scratchman had ever made it to the Gift final.

Instead, the heavily backed favourite was Peter Marks trained by highly regarded Australian sprinting coach, Monty Hirst. Marks was backed in from 10/1 to 6/4 favourite and won heat 21 in the equal fastest time of the day with Ravelo who also recorded 12.0 seconds in the next heat.

US runner and teammate of Ravelo’s under legendary coach John Toleman, Warren Edmonson, captured the Carlton & United Breweries 120m World Sprint title ahead of his training partner. Edmonson was assigned a 0.5m handicap and Ravelo was of the view that he could not concede half a metre to his teammate. 

Easter Monday

Ravelo’s faith in winning the Gift decreased drastically going into the semi-finals and last day, also believing that Toleman was concentrating his attention more on stablemate Edmonson. This led to Ravelo storming out of the Ararat Motel where his team were staying on the Gift’s final morning as he was consequently found four miles away walking alongside the road. Toleman convinced the powerhouse sprinter to join them back to Stawell as the contingent arrived at a cold and wet Central Park at 11:30am where the track had received 3.5 inches of rain over the weekend. 

Ravelo’s confidence altered after the semi-finals when Edmonson was run out of his race by Victorian sprinter Murray McGregor, twin brother of 1971 Stawell Gift champion, Treva McGregor. Heading into the last race of the 1975 Gift, Ravelo at last became a 2/5 favourite after recording the fastest time out of the five semis. He would be assigned lane 2 (white jacket) in the final as he had won the 2nd semi final. It wasn’t until 1978 that the finalists lined up in handicap order with the lowest given lane 1 and the red jacket.

In what is widely considered the ‘greatest’ run ever in a Stawell Gift final, Ravelo stormed through the middle on a rain-soaked track at Central Park beating Peter Marks (7m), Murray McGregor (7.25m), Joe Logan (6.5m), and Paul Dawe (6.75m). The Madagascan in lane two powerfully stormed home, finally overtaking Marks and McGregor at around the 100-metre mark. Ravelo was congratulated and escorted by Edmonson on a victory lap of the Central Park circuit to the thunderous applause of the Stawell crowd. 

Memories from Treva McGregor, Les Ralph and Ian Davies

1971 Stawell Gift winner Treva McGregor recalls that weekend: “I believe that Ravelo’s win was the best ever, certainly the best I have seen. It rained virtually every day, the track was heavy, and it was raining when the final was run – but Ravelo ran 12.0secs in all 3 races, heat, semi and final, from scratch. 

“This was astonishing, given he was a three-time Olympic 100m finalist, was unused to running on a grass track, with no experience of the handicap system (allegedly he was reluctant to run at all if he had to give everyone else a start). 

“Peter Marks ran 2nd and my twin brother Murray ran 3rd, falling across the finish line and dislocating his collarbone. Joe Logan was 4th, and Paul Dawe was 5th defeating me in a semi final.

“A heavy track at Stawell is a rare event (2024 not-withstanding), but Ravelo revelled in the conditions – I reckon he would have run 12.0secs in sand or a peat bog.  He was powerfully built and seemingly ideally suited to the conditions. His was an outstanding win from a great athlete, and an interesting and likeable personality,” said Treva who now lives in St Kilda and will be at Central Park this Easter.

Les Ralph from nearby Ararat, a finalist in 1969, ‘72 and ‘73, was beaten in his semi in 1975 by runner up Peter Marks, remembers the huge crowd and the start. “Between the starter announcing the blocks and the firing of the gun, it went so quiet that if someone had dropped two bob in the grandstand you could have heard it,” said Les.

Stawell Athletic Club past president and life member Ian Davies also recalled that special final 50 years ago. “It was packed and we had to fight for a viewing position. It wasn’t helped by the fact that everyone wore a hat in those days!

“My memory of Ravelo was that he was short and stocky but had a long stride, his leg speed was so quick, he was suited to running on grass.

“From our position opposite the grandstand part of the race was obscured so when we saw this short figure in white popping out at the front it was a rare moment, we all thought ‘how did he do that?!

“Only a few other moments in the history of the Stawell Gift has left me feeling those goosebumps again, Josh Ross’s win off scratch in 2005 and Cathy Freeman’s 400m win (off scratch in 1996). Ravelo never ran at Stawell again but he did come back to celebrate with other Hall of Fame legends,” recalled Ian.

Lasting Impact 

Ravelo’s 1975 victory remains one of the most celebrated moments in Stawell Gift History. Winning the Gift is an achievement that few can claim, but winning the event from scratch is a feat so rare that only two men have accomplished it in almost 150 years. 

In 2000, Ravelo made his first trip back to Stawell in 25 years when attending the Hall of Fame celebrations. During his visit, Ravelo was asked by Channel 10 TV reporter Brad McEwan what his greatest achievements in the sport of athletics had been. 

“I think being in the Olympics, I’ve won different titles, but this one (Stawell) is special, because Stawell is special,” Ravelo said. 

During the 2006 Gift carnival a panel of athletics officials paid a fitting tribute by judging Ravelo’s 1975 triumph as the most memorable Stawell Gift moment in the 125-year history of the race. 

After a prestigious sprinting career filled with accolades, Ravelomanantsoa passed away on 27th September 2016, aged 73 in Lyon, France.  

As the 2025 Powercor Stawell Gift approaches, we look back on his legendary triumph – a race that redefined what was possible on the grass track at Central Park. Even today, when athletes line up at the Stawell Gift, they do so knowing that they are following in the footsteps of some of sprinting’s most truly inspiring icons, such as Jean-Louis Ravelomanantsoa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Images: Ravelo crosses the finish line to thunderous applause; victory lap with Warren Edmonson; 1971 Stawell Gift winner Treva McGregor 

Click to view footage from 1975 here:

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