All ready: EMLAC athletes (from left) Benjamin Anthony, Ethan Anthony, Lynklon Richardson, Nathaniel Anthony, Nate Smith and Elijah Swiggs enjoy the Stawell Gift.
The 140th edition of the Stawell Gift had an Echuca-Moama feel to proceedings, with the town’s Little Athletes making the journey down for one of Australia’s most prestigious footraces.
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The Echuca-Moama Little Athletics Centre (EMLAC) saw athletes compete in a variety of events over the Easter weekend running bonanza, with several progressing to their respective finals.
On top of a packed schedule of events, young athletes were also afforded the opportunity to rub shoulders with Olympic heroes.
“It’s always great to be there and it’s a great atmosphere,” EMLAC president Leah Smith said.
“It’s good to be able to watch some of the best runners in action. The kids get really involved.
“There were a lot more kids compared to last year. COVID really affected it last year.
“There were some big names there. Kids were running around getting autographs from Olympians and Commonwealth Games qualifiers.”
Elijah Swiggs made a dash in the Little Athletics boys 100m event, running third in heats with a time of 11.74 seconds.
Wet conditions on Monday made racing difficult, with Swiggs placing eighth in the 100m semi-final after a stellar run.
“(The family) decided to do a day trip for the heats and (Elijah) managed to get into the semi-finals, which was a great result,” Smith said.
It was a family affair in the Little Athletics 800m, with Ben, Ethan and Nathaniel Anthony all placing top four in their respective heats, while Benji Carfoot placed seventh.
Nathaniel’s time of three minutes and 11 seconds saw him progress to the final, where he placed ninth.
Running hard: Nathaniel Anthony generated excitement in the EMLAC camp by progressing to the 800m Little Aths final at Stawell.
“The kids had a lot of fun in the end,” Smith said.
“(Stawell) is very different to our normal track and field.
“It’s a beautiful track and it’s a huge experience for the kids.”
In the marquee events, the $40,000 Powercor Stawell Gift over 120m, Harrison Kerr and Carla Bull took out the men and women’s events respectively.
