Stawell Gift: something special within Jacqui Watt's reach

JACQUI Watt is within reach of something special in her professional athletics career.The Ballarat 30-year-old goes into the Stawell Women's Gift semi-finals today as the fastest qualifier.She ran 14.53 seconds to take out the sixth of nine heats at Central Park on Saturday.Watt just shaded English-born Commonwealth Games runner Melanie Purkiss, who had earlier clocked 14.57 from a backmark of five metres.But it will be a case of "catch me if you can" fro Watt, who has an outmark of 12.25m, when they clash in the third semi-final.Watt was one of two Ballarat sprinters to take out heats, with the evergreen Narelle Lehmann also leading her rivals a merry dance from nine metres. She ran 14.84.Watt has been racing in top form and unlucky not to pick up a feature win in New South Wales in the past few months.The Temora Women's Gift was the one which got away in mid-February.Watt was the fastest heat winner and then produced the quickest winning time in the semi-finals, only to see the meeting washed out before the final could be run Then a month ago, Watt had to settle for second to Kendra Hubbard in the rich Lithgow Flash Gift.Hubbard (4.25m) is also in today's semi-finals.Watt began this season strongly with a second over 120m at Terang and third over 100m at Northcote.She has since been a finalist at Maryborough and Rye under the guidance of Mick Benoit to complement her NSW performances, but says it is not always easy fitting her running program in with her work commitments.Watt said it had been satisfying to win her heat and advance to the semi-finals after missing out last year.Determined not to again find herself watching on on the Monday, Watt said she had "gone for it".And she never looked like doing anything else but winning.Lehmann was equally as impressive - giving no one else a chance."It was hard work."The 20 metres were tough."It felt a long way," Lehmann said in relation to the soft track and head wind.And as it later proved with the track being 123.2m instead of 120m, it was a long way.Lehmann said it was satisfying to get that run under her belt.Watt also qualified for the 70m handicap semi-finals to be run today with a second in a heat on Saturday.