Unknown sprinter Kieran Mundine fleetingly became the man of the notable sporting family while making his own name in reaching the prestigious Stawell Gift final.

The first cousin of Aboriginal boxing and rugby league icon Anthony Mundine caused one of the great boilovers of the historic 120-metre race during his semi-final win.

Mundine outsprinted bookies' Gift favourite Leonard King on Easter Monday to stake his claim for the main event of the annual three-day track carnival in central Victoria.

The one-match South Sydney under-20s outside back from the 2019 season recorded a time of 12:33 – the second fastest heading into the men's final – off a six-metre start in the traditional handicapper's race.

Mundine told the waiting media after a shock performance to qualify for the final six that pursuing an athletics career was not his priority.

"Nah, I want to try rugby sevens because I love that sport," Mundine told the national TV audience.

Only advice from his personal sprint coach had temporarily switched the focus away from the rugby codes.

That decision only came about well after the previous running of the Stawell Gift to improve Mundine's speed and technique for the seven-a-side game.

"(That) happened probably five months into our training, and I've only been training 11-12 months now," he said.

"I have been working on the more explosive stuff."

It was noted that Mundine's running style looked relaxed with a strong knee lift on the slow, wet Central Park track, but it also provided a round-shouldered technique that extended to throwing his arms out wide.

Mundine would later slip at the start of the final, stumbling to recover to finish fifth.

Ryan Tarrant would go on to win the title seconds later from 3.75 metres off scratch.

"I think I was too nervous and I tripped over," Mundine later said.

"At least I made it to the finals – I don't really race."

Veteran athletics commentator Dave Cuthbert, a former dual Commonwealth Games long-jump silver medallist, was amazed at Mundine's unheralded running efforts by even making the final.

The lack of available past results left Cuthbert almost lost for words at one stage.

"We couldn't find anything on Kieran Mundine, but what a great race this (semi-final) was," he said.

"We were hoping he'd win it, so we could find a little bit more about him."

Not only had the rank outsider not harboured any further athletics ambitions, but he had very little knowledge of the 141 years of nostalgia surrounding Australia's richest footrace until recently watching clips of past Stawell Gift finals on YouTube.