When Hale was announced for his Stawell Gift heat on Saturday, the crowd clapped. 

When Hale was edged out in the gates, the crowd gasped.

This 16-year-old had more attention than any other contender in the iconic $60,000 120-metre handicap, even though South Australian Luke Houlihan (7.25m) remains the bookies’ favourite after posting the fastest heat time of 12.07 seconds.

Hale, rightfully billed Australia’s fastest schoolboy, has seemingly taken the event in his stride.

He progresses to the semi-finals on his heat time, running 12.48sec off a 2.25m backmark, despite his initial post-race concern it was not enough.

For a junior, Hale showed composure and maturity in plotting his next step.

“I just have a bit of trouble relaxing towards the end when I am about to catch someone I tense up,” Hale said.

“That’s just me – I tense up and try too hard so I think that is what let me down, but to make the semi-final I’m over the moon.

“For sure there is improvement there. I just need to relax, don’t get so tight and tense up and try too hard. I need to focus on that 60 to 120m (stage) instead of going all out and just keep the technique going.”

Hale is the seventh-fastest junior sprinter in the world, according to the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Close attention has followed Hale since he clocked 10.44sec to break the national under-18 record at a Hobart school carnival in September.

He was a headline act at the Burnie Gift carnival at New Year’s and was an ambassador for February’s Ballarat Gift.

Hale arrived at Central Park on the back of claiming the Australian under-18 titles for 100m and 200m in Sydney last month, qualifying for the World Youth Championships in Columbia in July.

Fellow Tasmanian teen sprint sensation Jacob Despard could prove to be his biggest challenge, should they both reach the final.

Despard (4.25m) powered from the backmark to win Saturday’s penultimate heat and prove a return to form.

Once Despard felt his nervous tingles in his legs before the heats, he knew he could reach the semis – that feeling is his trademark sign for running well.

But is the Stawell Gift big enough for two Tasmanians?

“It’s been really great to have Jack in there as a fellow Tasmanian but I wasn’t too fond of him coming out here, to race against him, because he’s in such good form,” Despard said.

“For a while we were doing one (training) session a week together but once it worked out we were both going to Stawell we though it was best to do our own thing. We’ve been at different stages of preparation.”

Despard will race in semi-final five, which will feature Ballarat’s sole remaining chance Peter O’Dwyer (10m).

Ballarat’s Nathan Dixon (10m) and Shane Woodrow (10m) were runners-up in their heats.

Cam Dunbar (8.75m), Stuart Rooke (9m), Brandon Galic (5.75m) also loom as semi-final favourites.

melanie.whelan@fairfaxmedia.com.au

FIRST SEMI-FINAL 12.40pm

Red - Jordan CALDOW 1.75 metres

White - Will JOHNS 5

Blue - James WOODGATE 6.25

Yellow - Tim ESCHEBACH 6.75

Green - Nicholas REPALUST 7

Pink - Liam SHEPHERD 8

Black - Nathan MCNAB 9

SECOND SEMI-FINAL 12.45pm

Red - Matt CARTER 2

White - Isaac DUNMALL 5.25

Blue - Bryce TEO 6.25

Yellow - Kevin BRITTAIN 7

Green - Tjimarri SANDERSON 7

Pink - Andrew BOUDRIE 7.25

Black - Bikramjeet SINGH 9.5

THIRD SEMI-FINAL 12.50pm

Red - Jack HALE 2.25

White - Dean SCARFF 5.5

Blue - Jack NEWMAN 6.5

Yellow - Paul TANCREDI 7.25

Green - Dylan PANIZZA 7.75

Pink - Stuart ROOKE 9

Black - Dale LYONS 9.75

FOURTH SEMI-FINAL 1.00pm

Red - Luke STEVENS 2.5

White - Brendon GALIC 5.75

Blue - Conor LOUGHNAN 6.75

Yellow - Brendon MATTHEWS 6.75

Green - Edward WARE 8.25

Pink - Cam DUNBAR 8.75

Black - Jarrad DARTNALL 10

FIFTH SEMI-FINAL 1.05pm

Red - Jacob DESPARD 4.25

White - Darcy ROPER 5.75

Blue - Murray GOODWIN 6.5

Yellow - Ryan MCNAMARA 6.75

Green - Daniel STEINHAUSER 8.5

Pink - Peter O’DWYER 10

Black - Dean DOBRIC 10

SIXTH SEMI-FINAL 1.10pm

Red - Ryan BEDFORD 4.5

White - Cory INNES 6

Blue - Jack D’ARCY 7

Yellow - Luke HOULIHAN 7.25

Green - Max PUNCHIHEWA 8

Pink - Tom PAAVOLA 8.5

Black - Matthew HARVEY 10

Grey - Leigh PHELAN 10

HEAT 1: Ryan Bedford, 4.5m 12.46secs

HEAT 2: Jack Newman, 6.5m 12.37s

HEAT 3: Cam Dunbar, 8.75m 12.23s

HEAT 4: Murray Goodwin, 6.5m 12.13s

HEAT 5: Dean Dobric, 10m 12.33s

HEAT 6: Will Johns, 5m 12.48s

HEAT 7: Dean Scarff, 5.5m 12.40s

HEAT 8: Stuart Rooke, 9m 12.24s

HEAT 9: Luke Houlihan, 7.25m 12.07s

HEAT 10: Brandon Galic, 5.75m 12.40s

HEAT 11: Tim Eschebach, 6.75m 12.30s

HEAT 12: Nathan McNab, 9m 12.53s

HEAT 13: Brendan Matthews, 6.75m 12.32s

HEAT 14: Bikramjeet Singh, 9.5m 12.47s

HEAT 15: Luke Stevens, 2.5m 12.51s

HEAT 16: Daniel Steinhauser, 8.5m 12.35

HEAT 17: Paul Tancredi, 7.25m 12.32s

HEAT 18: Liam Shepherd, 8m 12.32s

HEAT 19: Kevin Brittain, 7m 12.32s

HEAT 20: Jacob Despard, 4.25m 12.28s

HEAT 21: Nicholas Repalust, 7m 12.72s

HEAT 22: Dale Lyons, 9.75m 12.45s

Fastest losers 

Jordan Caldow 1.75m (12.42s) Matt Carter 2m (12.53s)

Jack Hale 2.25m (12.48s)

Isaac Dunmall 5.25m (12.43s)

Darcy Roper 5.75m (12.47s)

Cory Innes 6m (12.54s)

James Woodgate 6.25m (12.55s)

Bryce Teo 6.25m (12.47s)

Conor Loughnan 6.75m (12.42s)

Ryan McNamara 6.75m (12.53s) Tjimarri Sanderson 7m (12.28s) Jack D’Arcy 7m (12.50s)

Andrew Boudrie 7.25m (12.45s) Dylan Panizza 7.75m (12.56s) Max Punchihewa 8m (12.56s) Edward Ware 8.25m (12.36s) Tom Paavola 8.5m (12.56s) Jarrad Dartnall 10m (12.56s) Peter O’Dwyer 10m (12.53s) Matthew Harvey 10m (12.56s) Leigh Phelan 10m (12.34s)