There is an annual sprint race held during the AFL Grand Final. In 2023, the race was held before the main event. There were eight finalists (players from all 18 clubs participated in the qualifying heats). Geelong’s Max Holmes blitzed the field, crossing the line well ahead of Brisbane’s Jaxon Prior and Melbourne’s Jed Adams.
The Grand Final Sprint has been held since 1979. See more about the history of the Grand Final Sprint.
Tags: 100m·2022·AFL·AFL Grand Final·Grand Final sprint·sprinting
The AFL Grand Final returned to the MCG in 2022. The annual sprint was held at quarter time, with eight finalists (players from all 18 clubs participated in the qualifying heats).
The race was held around the 50m arc at one end of the ground, replicating the smile of the sponsor Colgate. The event was won by Richmond’s Hugo Ralphsmith.
The Grand Final Sprint has been held since 1979. See more about the history of the Grand Final Sprint.
Tags: 100m·2022·AFL·AFL Grand Final·Grand Final sprint·sprinting
The AFL Grand Final, played in Perth this year, again hosted the player sprint race. It was held at quarter time, with only West Coast and Fremantle players participating, as WA’s strict border rules made it impossible for all clubs to get involved.
The race course was also different this year, as it was held around the 50m arc at one end of the ground, replicating the smile of the sponsor Colgate. The first three to finish were from the West Coast Eagles, with Josh Rotham just pipping Jack Petruccelle, with Liam Ryan third.
This event has been held since 1979. See more about the history of the Grand Final Sprint.
Here is the final for the AFL player 100m sprint race from the 2020 AFL Grand Final day. The sprint this year was held during the quarter-time break for the first time, as the usual half-time was taken up by the entertainment show. The winner was the Geelong’s Jordan Clark. Unfortunately for Geelong, they were not able to replicate the victory in the main match. See more about the Grand Final Sprint.
The AFL player sprint race was again held at half time of the 2019 AFL Grand Final. The winner was Ben King from the Gold Coast Suns, the first time a Suns player has won the event. Thankfully there were no ring-ins this year, with all the 18 participants coming from AFL clubs. Last year’s race included a couple of amateur U18 players, with one of them, Godfrey Okereneyang from the Coolamon Hoppers Club, winning the final. See more about the history of the Grand Final Sprint.
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Here is the final for the AFL player sprint race held at half time of the 2018 AFL Grand Final. The winner was Godfrey Okereneyang from the Coolamon Hoppers Club, representing young footballers from around the country. The 16-year-old Okereneyang is a player from the GWS Academy. The highest placed AFL player was Jordan Murdoch from Geelong, who finished third. A little embarrassing for the professional footballers (the same thing happened in 2016). See more about the history of the Grand Final Sprint.
To cap off a sensational year for the Tigers, in addition to winning the Grand Final, the Brownlow, and the Norm Smith medal, Richmond player Connor Menadue won the 2017 Grand Final half-time sprint. See more about the history of the Grand Final Sprint.
Here is the final for the AFL player sprint race held at half time of the 2015 AFL Grand Final. Included in the field were two cab drivers (the race was sponsored by the company 13 Cabs). Also for sponsorship reasons, all the runners wore bright yellow tights. The winner was Majak Daw, the first winner of the race from the North Melbourne football club. See more about the history of the Grand Final Sprint.
Here is the final for the AFL player sprint race held at half time of the 2016 AFL Grand Final. The winner was James Shirley, a 28-year-old suburban footballer from the Murrumbeena Football Netball Club, who won through qualifying races to represent local footballers. Second was AFL player Jed Bews from Geelong. A little embarrassing for the professional footballers. See more about the history of the Grand Final Sprint.
Here is the final for the AFL player sprint race from the 2014 AFL Grand Final day. The winner was the favourite Geelong’s Jordan Murdoch. See more about the Grand Final Sprint.
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