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Stawell champ eyes Gift title

Posted on November 28, 2008, 6:06am

Three-time Australian sprint champion and 2000 Athens Olympian, Joshua Ross has drawn arguably the toughest heat of all for tomorrow’s new look $10,000 Mount Gambier RSL Gift Classic.

Ross (27) is a dual Stawell Gift champion and the only Australian to win the event from scratch.

Tomorrow however he will attempt to rekindle his running career after an 18 month injury interrupted schedule when he competes at the annual Mount Gambier Athletic Carnival at Vansittart Park.

Ross will run from scratch but has to spot this season’s best performed runner, Robbie James 6.75m in the last of six qualifying finals.

The saving grace for Ross is the fact that the first three runners in each heat will advance to the semi finals and from there he must finish either first or second to qualify for the 120m final, which is scheduled to be run at 6.30pm.

James has won three finals from as many starts this season, claiming the 100m Hallett Cove Gift, the 200m Flinders Gift and the 120m Reynella Gift.

James is unlikely to be daunted by Ross’ presence, but instead could use it a spur to make the Mount Gambier Gift his next conquest.

Ross meanwhile could try and use James as his pacemaker and be content to merely run a place and ensure a semi final berth and save some energy for a serious tilt at the final.

But also included in Ross and James’ heat is the 11.50m outmarker Leon Burckhardt, brother of 2003 Mount Gambier Gift winner, Chris.

The fields for both the men and women’s gifts — as well as all other races — were released by the South Australian Athletic League yesterday.

Defending Mount Gambier Gift champion, Dale Woodhams will line up in the opening heat off 6.25m.

He won last year’s final off 7m and tomorrow will have only Robert Vidler off 6m behind him.

Outside of Ross, the other drawcard runner for tomorrow’s carnival is former World Under 20 Championships representative, Aaron Rouge Serrett.

The talented 20-year-old Victorian is listed to run from 2.50m and will be the backmarker in the fifth heat, up against in-form runners, Ben Koschade (7.5m) and Damian Tohl (8m).

Tomorrow’s carnival will feature more than 50 individual events and 12 finals. The first event is scheduled to start at 1pm.

ROD MORRIS

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Comments

One Response to “Stawell champ eyes Gift title”

  1. Sharron McCartney on November 28th, 2008 6:53 pm 1

    Hi I would like to comment on your story Joshua Ross,he has won the Australian National title 4 times not 3.