Belief carries Stawell Gift winners
Aaffect turbulent build-up did little to
this year’s Stawell Gift, with patrons enjoying bright sunshine and great racing in the 138th running of the carnival.
The prestige of Australia’s richest footrace was under threat when Stawell Athletic Club announced in February it was struggling to attract a major sponsor and as a result would offer lower prizemoney for its men’s and women’s gifts.
Later in the month the club struck a deal with state and local governments, ensuring prizemoney for both winners would remain at $40,000.
Claiming the winner’s cheques in 2019 were Sandringham’s Dhruv Rodrigues Chico in the men’s final and Frankston’s Lexi Loizou in the women’s final.
Rodrigues Chico entered Monday’s final as both the crowd and bookmakers’ favourite after posting the fastest heat time – a blistering 11.913 seconds – off a seven-metre mark.
Chasing frontmarker Jason Bailey, running off 10 metres, and under early pressure from Leonard King, 6.75 metres, in the final, Rodrigues Chico held his nerve and found his rhythm, crossing the finish line in 12.106 seconds to etch his name into Stawell Gift history.
Remarkably, Rodrigues Chico, 20, only turned to running a year ago after initially pursuing a promising soccer career.
He credited coach Tom Morehouse’s tutelage and a cutback on partying for helping him achieve his potential.
“Tom has been really good to me, he understands me – probably more than myself sometimes – he’s a great mentor and I look up to him every single moment,” he said.
“This season all my mates turned 21, so I just drove to every event so I wouldn’t drink.
“I’ve done everything right leading up to it, I’ve sacrificed a lot and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.”
Rodrigues Chico said he only seriously began considering running at Stawell after a surprise victory at the Hastings Gift.
He said although he was thrilled with his form at Stawell, there was still plenty he could improve on as he gained experience.
“With my heat time I wanted to make a statement that I’m here,” he said.
“Anything happens in the race. You can tense up, you can get put off with someone next to you, and I definitely kept my cool.
“I didn’t let that affect me. I didn’t let anyone saying, ‘oh, you’re the favourite,’ affect me either.
“I stuck to my own game and my own rhythm.
“I hope this somewhere.
“I would love to represent Australia one day, but I’ve got a lot to work on.” is going to take me
Loizou, 21, had to hold off her best friend and training partner Sophia Fighera to win the women’s final.
Running off 5.75 metres, Loizou kept Fighera, five metres, at bay to win in a time of 13.579 seconds.
An emotional Loizou described the experience as ‘overwhelming’, saying she had never expected to compete in the Stawell Gift final, let alone win it.
“The year that my team-mate Matt Rizzo ran, I saw him and I just thought, ‘Oh my God, that’s incredible. These athletes must just be beyond my imagination,’” she said.
“To be here where I am, where I thought I could never get a couple of years ago, just makes you really believe in yourself and shows that you can do amazing things if you put your mind to it.
“I had to go in with such a strong mindset and just try to do the best that I could.
“I think I brought that on the day, so this is honestly a dream come true.”
Northern Grampians Shire Council mayor Kevin Erwin said the Gift had again proved a major drawcard for the region.
“It was great to see all the accommodation booked out, and the entries for the Gift were also strong,” he said.
“Easter is an incredible time of year in the region, with back-to-back events and activities making our region shine.
“A big thank you to all those volunteers and organisations who helped showcase the area over Easter.”