Ballarat female sprinters have made a habit of shining in the modern era of the Stawell Gift Carnival.
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Grace O’Dwyer (2015) and Talia Martin (2016) have each won the Stawell Women’s Gift since it received prizemoney parity with the Stawell Gift.
Kate Jones has been a finalist, and the likes of Holly Dobbyn, Tara Domaschenz, Jacqui McCann and Cleo Anderson semi-finalists.
Ballarat appears set for another strong showing in the Stawell Women’s Gift this year, with Jones with the form and handicap to again be prominent.
This year’s Ballarat Gift winner has been given 8.25 metres.
She reached the semi-finals last year off 9.75m, but this year’s entries have a different complexion about them with the likes of regular backmarkers Lauren Wells, Meiissa Breen and Maddie Coates bypassing Stawell because of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Domaschenz, who has been a semi-finalist at Central Park for the past three years, has 5m.
Dobbyn has the tightest mark of the Ballarat contingent with 3m, while Grace O’Dwyer will run off 4m, Martin 6m, Angelica Selkirk 6.5m, Hannah Simpson 10.5m, Keely and Tania Shillito 11m, and Ella Squire 11m.
Geelong teenager Mia Gross is backmarker on 1.75m, with West Australian teenager Amy Tolcon and Jessica Payne just ahead of her on 2m.
Josh Ross has been given the joint backmark of 1.5m as he makes his return Central Park in an attenpt to become the first three-time Stawell Gift winner.
The fastest Australian over 100m on home soil and 2003 and 2005 Stawell Gift winner has been training under the guidance of former Ballarat-based sprinter Gerrard Keating in New South Wales.
Michael Romanin also has 1.5m after running of 4.75m last year.
Ballarat entrants include Jordan Achterbosch 6m, Tom Moloney 6.75m, Sam Baird 7.25m, Jason Blood 8m, Mason Keast 9.75m, Craig Brown 10m and Peter O'Dwyer 10m.