Maryborough Gift: Jacqui Watt to defend Women's Necklace

JACQUI Watt has a close affinity with Maryborough.She grew up in the town and had her first taste of athletics there - cutting her teeth in the sport in little athletics and then moving into junior ranks.And then last year Watt had the most significant win of her professional athletics career at Maryborough's Princes Park.The Ballarat sprinter dashed to victory in the Women's Necklace, 120 metres.Watt defends her title in even better form than she had 12 months ago.And watching her in a training session at Llanberris, she is as focused and in the best shape she has ever been in. Watt said a long, hard build-up to the season was already paying dividends."I've had my best preparation and it's all down to hard work," she said. "I'm feeling good ... really good."Watt said having a stronger group to train with had been most beneficial. Her coach Mick Benoit has expanded his stable, so instead of largely training on her own, Watt has been pushed much harder on the track. She is often forced to chase her male counterparts these days, but that is fine by her.And by looking at her performances so far this season it is easy to see why.Watt was a finalist first-up in the women's 200m at Epping; second and first female to hit the tape in the women's/veterans' 120m final at Terang; and third and first female across the line in the women's/veterans' 100m final at Northcote. She was also a finalist in the rich Queanbeyan Gift, 120m, early last month. Watt won from the outmark of 12m last year.Rather than starting off a tighter handicap, she finds herself on 12.25m _ predominantly as a result of the inclusion of Canberra gun Lauren Boden in the heats.Boden, 21, has the back mark of one metre.The three-time Australian 400m hurdle champion has extensive international experience, having run at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, 2006 world junior championships, and 2007 and 2009 World University Games.Ballarat mother-of-two and reigning Daylesford women's gift champion Narelle Lehmann will test her form against Boden in heat four off the 9.5-metre mark. Warracknabeal teenager Sarah Byron will be among the first on the blocks, running off eight metres in heat one.