Carnival welcome gift for athletes

Richmond Carnival organiser Ray Quarrell has hailed another successful event after more than 100 athletes scorched the grass yesterday afternoon. The male and female gifts were the headline acts, but plenty of juniors stepped into the athletics world to get a taste of the action as well.

SUPER sprinter Morgan Gaffney made full use of the long trip from the North-West Coast to claim the spoils in the women’s Richmond Gift event.

The three-time Burnie Gift champion is a regular face on the Tasmanian carnival scene and showed she will again be a force this summer.

Although only just beginning her preparations for the Tasmanian Christmas Carnival series, Gaffney was a class above in the blue-ribband event at the Richmond Carnival yesterday.

“The season has only just started, so I am just happy to be out there competing again,” Gaffney said.

“I have competed at Richmond most years, so it is not my first trip down. I think it is a really nice carnival at a really nice venue, the organisers do really well to keep it going.”

The men’s Gift title remains in the South after the in-form Ryan Cooper claimed a narrow win.

Cooper came into the event brimming with confidence having taken out the 100m event at both round three and round five of Athletics South’s interclub program this month, and added the Richmond crown to his trophy cabinet.

Organisers hailed the day as a another huge success, with more than 100 athletes taking part, including a host of junior runners.

“It was a really good day. I think the Richmond Carnival is regarded as one of the better carnivals outside the northern carnivals,” Richmond Carnival organiser Ray Quarrell said.

“We had over 100 people involved, and the kids events were very well supported. We put them on just to encourage them to get out and run, there is a bit of prizemoney involved but they love it.”