Mitchell threw 60.25 metres to claim the Victorian Country Track and Field Championships open women's title in Ballarat on Saturday night - the second day of the three-day meet at Llanberris Reserve.

She needs 64m to book a berth to Japan for her third Olympics.

While pleased to back competing again, Mitchell had mixed feelings about the distance she threw - coming up short of what she hoped she might achieve.

She told The Courier that she might have been expecting too much.

"It's a long time not to be in a competitive environment."

Mitchell, who represented Eureka, said in retrospect it was just good to be back out there.

She said she did not feel any stress or pressure.

Mitchell said what it had highlighted was areas she needed to work on, such as her run up, and that there was more work to be done.

Mitchell, who is a four-time Commonwealth Games athlete and 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games gold medalist, was the recipient of the Australia Day Award as the most outstanding female athlete at the meet.

Mitchell, 38, has planned an extensive program in her bid to get the 64m qualifying throw, with up to seven events on her schedule - starting with an Athletics Victoria throwers' event at Frankston on Sunday, February 7.

Ballarat YCW's Yual Reath received the men's Australia Day Award after taking out the men's high jump.

He cleared a personal best 2.20m, which is also a new Ballarat Region Athletics Centre record.

Eaglehawk Athletic Club was again the dominant force at the championships, taking out the men's women's and overall aggregates for the fourth year in a row.

Eaglehawk's combined aggregate totalled 1189 points, ahead of South Bendigo 835, Geelong Guild 754, Chilwell 716 and Wendouree 683.

Eureka finished seventh on 414, Ballarat Harriers eighth on 412 and Ballarat YCW ninth on 390.

Where Ballarat clubs finished in other aggregates:

Female: Wendouree 6th 279, YCW 7th 210, Eureka 8th 182 and Harriers 10th 168

Male: Wendouree 2nd 404, Harriers 6th 244, Eureka 8th 232, YCW 11th 180

Other awards:

Ballarat's Archie Caldow (Wendouree) and Lucy Jones (Eureka) each had their names added to the Stuart Hunter Shield as the most outstanding under-16 athletes of the meet.

Caldow won three under-16 championships in his age group: 800m, 1500m, and 3000m.

Jones was also a three-time gold medallist at under-14 level: 400m, 800m and 1500m.

Angela Williams (Wendouree) was judged the best veteran female (40 years plus) with sins nin the 40-plus 5000m and 1500m.

THE athletics community now turns it attention to Zatopek:10 at Box Hill's Hagenauer Reserve on Tuesday.

Former Ballarat Clarendon College student and now distance running super star Stewart McSweyn from Tasmania has become one of the main attractions of this meet.

However, he will miss the national 10,000m championship this year.

The will instead be headlined by Melbourne Track Club teammates Jack Rayner and Brett Robinson, who was based in Ballarat for a short time early in hs running career.

Athletic Australia reports that Rayner shapes as the man to beat despite an uninterrupted preparation which included an impressive three week stint at altitude.

Robinson on the other hand opted to continue with business as usual in Melbourne to start his 2021 campaign.

A previous winner of the race and Australian record holder in the half marathon, Robinson and Rayner are expected to push the pace in the lead group..

Other athletes who should feature early in the finish include Sam McEntee and Andre Waring, who both appeared to be in fine touch at Falls Creek, and Andrew Buchanan, who is a consistent performer over 10,000m.

The program also features the national women's 1000m championship, under-20 3000m, and open men's and women's 1500m, 800m and 400m hurdles.