NIGERIAN sprinter Bola Lawal will go to the Beijing Olympics as the reigning Ballarat Gift titleholder.The two-time Commonwealth Games relay runner came off the backmark of two metres to storm to victory in the $7500 Scott Petroleum Ballarat Gift on Saturday.A late entry who did not appear in the published heat fields, Lawal powered away from odds-on favourite Peter Walsh (9m), with Tommy Neim (9.5m) third ahead of Ballarat's Rod Mathews (10.5m).Lawal has been in Australia just three months, training under 1991 Stawell Gift winner Steve Brimacombe in Melbourne.And he demonstrated the Brimacombe polish in clocking 12.5 seconds in testing windy conditions at AUSTAR Arena. This Australian visit is his first time on grass.While he says he is still coming to terms with the surface, the classy Lawal's strength has allowed him to adjust quickly.In just four professional meet appearances, the 32-year-old has reached finals at Maryborough, Wangaratta and Ballarat, and was only stopped in his tracks at Daylesford when he strained a hamstring in a semi-final."I'm really happy," he said as he described the breakthrough performance in Ballarat.Lawal, who led for Nigeria in the 4x400m relay at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, said Brimacombe had been recommended to him by friend and fellow African sprinter Isaul D'Sousa, who ran in the 2005 Stawell Gift final. He said he had made the trip to Australia to improve his Beijing prospects.He is unsure whether he will run in the Stawell Gift at Easter though.Lawal said it would depend how the timing fitted in with commitments in Europe.He did not stamp his authority on the Ballarat Gift final until passing the 80m mark, but once in full flight over the closing stages, gave no one else a chance and had time to give a skyward salute as he crossed the line.Lawal impressed from the moment he stepped onto the track for the fifth of 11 heats.He outgunned Ballarat's Nathan Dixon to win in 12.68 seconds.Although he was shaded by Walsh in a semi-final in 12.5, he still looked impressive.Mathews continued from where he left off with his second in Wangaratta Gift and fourth in the Sandringham Gift two weeks earlier.He coasted to victory in the opening heat in 12.52 and took out a semi-final in 12.5.The 1999 Stawell Gift winner appeared a chance of claiming his home gift for the first time through the middle stages, but faded.