Highly fancied duo Jack Lacey and Chloe Mannix-Power have overcome a rain-delay and rain-sodden track to reign supreme in the Stawell Gifts.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Lacey from Bayswater made full use of his 9.5m mark to claim the Stawell Gift in the tightest of finishes from backmarker Jake Ireland (5.5m) on Monday.
Mannix-Power charged through the field from the bark mark of 4.25m to claim the $40,000 first prize in the Stawell Women's Gift from Ballarat's Chloe Kinnersly (9.75m), who was a brave second.
Kinnersly, who reached the final after a convincing semi-final win earlier in the day, ran a bold race.
She gave herself every chance as she splashed her way into the lead, but had no answer for the finishing power of the former Queensland beach sprinter.
The Stawell Gift and Stawell Women's Gift finals were in danger of not being run after a thunderstorm hit Central Park and left large sections of the oval, including the Gift track, under water.
Victorian Athletic League officials finally gave the all clear for the finals to go ahead more than two hours after the scheduled times.
While Lacey was able to relax during the uncertainty of the delay, Mannix-Power indicated she had struggled to deal with it.
"I was just to get it done really. It's over. I'm stoked."
She stated pre-race that she almost gave running away a couple of years ago and it took highly respected coach Brett Robinson to convince her to continue.
"Robbo told me we had some goals to achieve together."
Lacey ran a highly respectable 12.27 seconds and he needed every bit of it to stave off a late dive from Ireland, whose father Todd contested three Stawell Gift finals for a best finish of third.
Lacey paid credit to his coach Nick Fiedler.
"He told me I could do this and I didn't really believe him. He's been an inspiration."
"He said give it a crack. I sacrificed heaps."
HOW THEY FINISHED
STAWELL GIFT
Jack Lacey (9.5m) 12.272sec
Jake Ireland (5.5m) 12.281
Endale Mekonnen (7m) 12.329
Maki Loukeris (7.75m) 12.430
Brad Hunt (6.75) 12.434
Jerome Lugo (9.25m) 12.567
STAWELL WOMEN'S GIFT
Chloe Mannix-Power (4.25m) 13.417sec
Chloe Kinnersly (5m) 13.526
Jemma Pollard (8.75m) 13.544
Jennifer King (11m) 13.692
Angelina Windshuttle (9.25m) 13.697
Layla Watson (7.5m) 13.919
