OUTSPOKEN sprinter John Steffensen had crowds on his side when he won his semi-final after being pulled one metre for a false start.
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Steffensen electrified the stands with that gutsy run but was forced to send an apology when he pulled up in the final with a hamstring cramp.
“@Stawell_Gift big thank you for having me!! Unfortunately the old hammy gave way on me!! But il (sic) be back!! My apologies to all my supporters!” Steffensen wrote on social networking site Twitter.
The 29-year-old will fly to the United States later in the week where he is chasing Olympic qualifying times in the 400m and 4x400m relay.
Click here to view a gallery from yesterday's event
Meanwhile, Jamaican Olympic hopeful Michael Frater says he knows he is in great shape after an Easter outing at Stawell.
Frater powered off scratch at Central Park and was pipped of a spot in the Stawell Gift final by one hundredth of a second in a photo finish to his semi-final.
The 29-year-old instead served up a convincing win in the $10,000 backmarkers 120m invitational handicap.
Frater hunted down fellow Caribbean runner Kim Collins (1.75m), the 2011 world champion bronze medallist for 100m.
“It’s intimidating looking at those finishing gates but I’ve learnt more each time I raced,” Frater said.