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''DOWN UNDER'' SCOTS ALL SET FOR STAWELL BY SHANE FENTON.
A contingent of Scottish Highland Games athletes are currently 'down under' in Australia competing on the lucrative Victoria Athletic's League circuit.
The highlight of their visit comes this weekend when they will compete at the famous three day Stawell Gift meeting which boasts total prize money of over $100,000 dollars, with the main event the 120 metres Australia Post Stawell Gift carrying a first prize of $60.000 dollars.
To “Experience the Gift” is a must for any sports fan. The history and romance of the Australia Post Stawell Gift is entrenched in Australian folklore, ensuring its status as an icon of Australian sport. The Australia Post Stawell Gift has been held in all but four years since 1878, and has developed into Australia’s, and notably one of the world’s, most famous and prestigious foot races.
The Australia Post Stawell Gift is a professional athletics meeting with sixty-six events over three days, with athletes running off handicaps. It is a true carnival atmosphere with plenty of action off the track for all the family, including a fashion parade, live music and children’s entertainment.
Betting is allowed in the venue and there is an extensive bookmakers compound.
The weekend culminates on Easter Monday afternoon, with the running of the Australia Post Stawell Gift final over 120m, typically in front of 15,000 spectators and thousands more watching live on tv.
Not surprising the event attracts some of the World's top athletes, Steve Hooker[5.5m] the current World and Olympic pole vault champion as well as World outdoor and indoor long jump bronze medalist Mitchell Watt[2.5m] along with a a clutch of other Commonwealth Games hopefuls are all declared to compete.
Nigerian international sprinter Bola Lawal is the backmarker in the big race off half a metre, Scot Kevin Reynolds is off the limit of 10 metres.
The handicaps for the Scottish runners in the various events over the three days are as follows.
STAWELL GIFT 120 METRES
Kevin Reynolds[10]
100 METRES HANDICAP
Kevin Reynolds[10].
70 METRES HANDICAP
Kevin Reynolds[8]
Wallace McGown[11]
Don Campbell[11.5]
Graeme Armstrong[12]
90 METRES VETERANS HANDICAP
Don Campbell[8.5]
Graeme Armstrong[8.5]
Wallace McGown[10]
200 METRES HANDICAP
Wallace McGown[26]
VETERANS 300 METRES HANDICAP
Wallace McGown[32]
FRONTMARKERS 400 METRES
Wallace McGown[40]
OPEN 800 METRES HANDICAP
Colin Welsh[30]
FRONTMARKERS 1600 METRES HANDICAP
John Thomson[Scottish MV50 1500m champion [230]
Derek Scott [265]
OPEN 3200 METRES HANDICAP
John Thomson[350].
The Scots' final meeting before the big one was the St Bernards meet at the weekend where two of them reached finals.
Graeme Armstrong [who incidentally holds the Scottish football record of having played 910 league matches] finished runner up in his heat in the 70 metres before going on to take 5th place in the final.
Wallace McGown twice a winner of the Scottish Games Association's 'athlete of the year' award won his heat in the 300 metres and finishing 4th in the final.
Published: 2010-03-30 08:21:00
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