Queensland beach sprinter Elizabeth "EJ" Forsyth broke the stranglehold of teenagers on the $60,000 Stawell Women's Gift.on Monday.
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The 21-year-old ran a blistering 13.69 seconds off 7m to have the better of Pam Austin (10.5m), with Stephanie Jinks (11m) third.
Forsyth, 21, bounced back from a disappointing heat on Saturday to turn it on with a sizzling 13.85-second semi-final win and then live up to that form as a short-priced favourite in the final.
She became the latest major Central Park triumph for coach Brett Robinson, who also took Murray Goodwin to success in the 2015 Stawell Gift.
She is the first winner of the feature 120m sprint outside their teens since it gained prizemoney parity with Gift in 2015.
Forsyth competed at Stawell for the first time last year, which was also her first experience with handicap racing.
Forsyth said she had benefited from that learning curve, making all the difference in this campaign.
All Ballarat’s five semi-finalists - Tara Domaschenz, Kate Jones, Holly Dobbyn, Grace O’Dwyer and Talia Martin – failed to progress to the final. Domaschenz was just shaded by Amie Mittigae in the third senmi-final.
Forsyth was overcome by emotion after crossing the line to claim the final.
She crashed to the ground and burst into tears before being swamped by friends and training partners.
“I can't believe it’s happening. I didn't think it was possible.”
Forsyth said her main focus for the timebeing would be beach sprinting.
STAWELL WOMEN’S GIFT
HOW THEY FINISHED
Elizabeth Forsyth (7m) 13.685
Pamela Austin (10.5) 13.964
Stephanie Jinks (11) 13.971
Anna Pasquali (10.25) 13.980
Ebony Lane (6) 14.046
Amie Mittiga (4.75) 14.046
SEMI-FINAL WINNERS
Ebony Lane 14.051
Stephanie Jinks 14.037
Amie Mittiga 14.175
Pamela Austin 14.107
Anna Pasquali 14.00
Elizabeth Forsyth 13.853
UNITED States Olympic hurdler Devon Allen completed an impressive Stawell Easter Carnival by taking out the $10,000 backmarkers’ invitational 120m handicap.
Allen, who was a late entry for the Stawell Gift, ran a bold second to eventual Stawell Gift winner Jacob Despard in his semi-final.
He beat home Michael Romarin and Mitch Williams in 12.33.
Allen, who was fifth in the 110m hurdles at the 2016 Rio Olympics, now returns to the United States with the long-term aims of competing in next year’s world championships and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.