MELISSA Breen feels mentally smarter and more physically tuned to work into unchartered territory at Central Park this Easter.
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Breen has tasted the Stawell Gift before – in 2011 she became the fifth woman to line up in heats for the nation’s richest footrace – but vowed she would not attempt to do so again until she felt stronger.
Australia’s fastest female today vies to become the first woman to win a spot in the Stawell Gift semi-finals on Easter Monday.
The difference between 2011 and now, she says, has been schooling herself on her game.
“It’s about getting work done while listening to your body – the smartest athlete is not necessarily the one that is training every day,” Breen said.
“After I broke the Australian (100m) record, I took it pretty easy for a few weeks allowing my body to recover properly.
“Going into this season, I’ve continued working on technical aspects of my race.”
Stawell fits nicely into Breen’s schedule this season, falling after the national championships and Commonwealth Games selection trials and, having made the Australian team first cut, becomes part of her Glasgow preparations before a two-week stint in Japan.
Breen has been piecing her Stawell Gift bid together since 2011.
The Canberra-based athlete, part of the strong Matt Beckenham stable, became the first to win the women’s gift off scratch in 2012 and, while injury moved her into a commentary role last year, Breen has been building her race to reach the semis in the prestigious 120m handicap.
Breen’s quest has her in heat 12 today, set to run at 2.25pm, as frontmarker in the black with defending Stawell Gift champion Andrew Robinson, the Tasmanian, in the red off 3.5m.
She is confident she can run a time capable of advancing to the next round, carefully calculating the time she must beat off her 10m mark.
It all comes down to her finely-tuned plan.
“It’s so different running the pros to the amateurs. I’ll be the one they are chasing and the boys will not want to be beaten by me, so I know they will be chasing hard,” Breen said.
“This is the complete opposite to running the women’s gift where I start off scratch and have control in assessing and seeing where everyone is.
“I just have to focus on my own race. This is a great chance to focus on things we’ve been working on in training.”
Breen said it became a big talking point when she stepped out for the Stawell Gift heats three years ago.
She is determined to create a talking point at Central Park again by going one step further, two months after breaking a 20-year-old Australian 100m record.
“I guess it’s a record breaking year,” Breen said.
“2014 is a big year and I want to take it as far as I can.”
melanie.whelan@fairfaxmedia.com.au
WOMEN'S GIFT HEATS
HEAT 1 12.15pm
RED MELISSA BREEN 0
WHITE TAMARA HAMOND 9.5
BLUE GRACE O’DWYER* 12
YELLOW BETHANY SIMPSON* 13
GREEN TAYLAH PERRY 14
PINK BELINDA CARUSI 15.25
BLACK AMY VAN BRAAM 16.5
GREY CARMEN DEANE 18
HEAT 2 12.18pm
RED TARA HAWKING 9.25
WHITE EMMA JOHNSON 11.75
BLUE JENNA CARTLEDGE* 13
YELLOW PAMELA AUSTIN 13.75
GREEN LAUREN BUCHANAN 15
PINK LAUREN CAMPBELL 16.5
BLACK KYLIE WILLIAMS 18
GREY CHLOE BARNARD 18
HEAT 3 12.21pm
RED HANA BASIC 4.25
WHITE SAMANTHA LIND 10
BLUE ABBEY FREER 12
YELLOW JESSICA PAYNE 13
GREEN NATASHA INGLIS 14
PINK ROSAMOND GILDEN 15.25
BLACK ELLIE MEICH 16.75
GREY KAITLYN PATTEN 18
HEAT 4 12.24pm
RED ANGELA BYRT 5.5
WHITE ALEXIA LOIZOU 10
BLUE NATASHA HUGHES 12.25
YELLOW KEELY HENDERSON 13
GREEN KIMBERLEY GEELAN 14
PINK NATASHA MCDOWELL 15.25
BLACK SAMANTHA HARGREAVES 18
HEAT 5 12.27pm
RED LAUREN WELLS 5.75
WHITE TARA ANGELL 10.25
BLUE EMMA YATES 12.25
YELLOW NARELLE LEHMANN* 13
GREEN KELLY MCDONNELL 14.25
PINK STEPHANIE JINKS 15.25
BLACK KASEY MOORE 16.75
GREY MEGAN MCMAHON 18
HEAT 6 12.30pm
RED NICOLE KAY 6
WHITE MELANIE PURKISS 10.25
BLUE CAITLIN HAWKS 12.5
YELLOW LARA GAMBINO 13
GREEN CARA BOUSTEAD 14.25
PINK LUCY BUCKLEY 15.5
BLACK CELIA COSGRIFF 16.75
HEAT 7 12.33pm
RED KENDRA HUBBARD 6
WHITE EMILY HOUSE 10.5
BLUE SARAH BLIZZARD 12.5
YELLOW KATE JONES* 13.25
GREEN ANNA PASQUALI 14.25
PINK ELLIE MAGUIRE 16.75
BLACK JACQUELINE SCOTT 18
HEAT 8 12.36pm
RED MADDIE COATES 6.25
WHITE LAUREN GORRINGE 1 0.5
BLUE SOPHIE WOOD 12.5
YELLOW SOPHIA POWER 13.25
GREEN DELANY KEATING* 14.5
PINK JACQUELINE MCCANN* 15.5
BLACK ELYSHA SCOWN 17
HEAT 9 12.39pm
RED ALICIA WRENCH-DOODY 6.5
WHITE SARAH SALMON 10.5
BLUE CARA WHITE 12.5
YELLOW CLEO ANDERSON* 13.25
GREEN MICHELLE DAVIS S 14.5
PINK NICOLA COOMBE 15.5
BLACK NADEEN BROWN 17
GREY AMY TOZER 18
HEAT 10 12.42pm
RED TARA DOMASCHENZ* 7.75
WHITE OLIVIA FIEN 10.5
BLUE RACHAEL CARNEGIE 12.5
YELLOW AMIE MITTIGA 13.5
GREEN CELESTE DYER 15.5
PINK LAUREN KEATING 17
BLACK MORGAN DEANE 18
HEAT 11 12.45pm
RED HAYLEY WYPER 8.5
WHITE MELISSA HOWARD 11.25
BLUE LILLY CASTLE 12.5
YELLOW KYLIE NEWTON 13.5
GREEN SAMANTHA POMROY 14.5
PINK SUSAN SINCLAIR 15.5
BLACK SIOBHAN LOUGHNAN 17
GREY JESSICA FARRUGIA 18
HEAT 12 12.48pm
RED ASHLEE MOORE .5
WHITE GEMMA FAIRCLOUGH 11.5
BLUE NADIA DOMASCHENZ* 12.75
YELLOW ELENI GILDEN 13.5
GREEN HOLLY CANNIZZO 14.5
PINK LORYN SAVOIA 15.5
BLACK JULIA BOATMAN 17
GREY CASSANDRA ANDERSON 18
HEAT 13 12.51pm
RED CAITLIN NEWSON 8.5
WHITE KARLEE BAILEY 11.5
BLUE ALICE PLATTEN 13
YELLOW KARA BULL 13.5
GREEN ALI TREWARTHA 14.5
PINK CLAIRE THIELE K 15.75
BLACK TIFFANY BOATMAN 17.5
HEAT 14 12.54pm
RED KATIE MOORE 8.75
WHITE LAUREN EDWARDS 11.5
BLUE BRIANNA FULLER 13
YELLOW SARAH BYRON 13.75
GREEN KIRSTY STEVENS 14.5
PINK KARLY TAFFT 16
BLACK LAUREN MCHUGH 18
GREY TARRYN FISHER 18
HEAT 15 12.57pm
RED LAURA JANE HILDITCH 8.75
WHITE HOLLY DOBBYN* 11.5
BLUE TIERRA EXUM 13
YELLOW KATIE JURY 13.75
GREEN YASMIN OPENSHAW 15
PINK HETTIE DRISCOLL 16.5
BLACK CATHERINE DONALDSON 18
GREY JESSIE HART 18
* BALLARAT