DEFENDING CHAMPIONS WILL BE BACK AT STAWELL THIS EASTER

Date: 7th February 2023

Reigning champions in the Strickland Family Women’s Gift and Powercor Stawell Gift, Carla Bull and Harrison Kerr, have confirmed they will return to defend their titles at the historic Easter event this year.

Carla Bull finished off an incredible Easter weekend at Stawell in 2022, taking out the Strickland Family Women’s Gift to back up from her 70m Women’s title on the Sunday. The Queenslander from Parkwood on the Gold Coast won in 13.774s with a handicap of 6m.

“Yes, I will definitely be back to Stawell to defend both titles, we’ve booked our flights and we’re bringing a bigger group this time,” said Bull who trains with Vikings Athletics and is coached by Brett Robinson, himself a Powercor Stawell Gift runner up.

After a strong start to the pro running season a quad injury means Carla hasn’t competed on the track recently. 

“We are keeping an eye on things as we move into the competition phase and start working on speed a bit more. Being defending champion means it will be a bit different this time, even just lining up and hearing my name being announced as the current Stawell Gift winner is an added pressure.  The thought of winning back-to-back is always on my mind but with the handicap change, who knows?”

The physiotherapy student and personal trainer is using her $40,000 prize money to open her own health and fitness studio on the Gold Coast.

Harrison Kerr’s 2022 victory was the fastest winning time in the final of the Powercor Stawell Gift since 1995. His time of 11.845 seconds off a handicap of 9.25m saw him live up to his tag as the hot favourite against a host of top Australian amateur sprinters including Jake Doran, Jack Hale, Calab Law and Aidan Murphy, and New Zealand star Eddie Nketia who ran from the scratch mark.

Kerr put a pre-event injury behind him to recover and improve his speed and believed he was coming into form at the right time. 

“I am so happy everything came together in my 8th year of competing. I knew if my body held up I would be in the mix. To get up against some of the serious talent we had on the track was amazing,” Kerr said.

Coached by Nick Fiedler, who also coached 2021 Powercor Stawell Gift winner Ed Ware, Harrison knows that he will be pushed back several metres this year. 

“It will be tough to make up that gap, but I’ll give it a good go!  I enjoy pro running, it’s very different now being a backmarker but still interesting and enjoyable. Stawell was always a goal and to finally make it is very satisfying – it’s always the top thing to win as a pro runner.

“Being defending champion is not a burden, but it is a gigantic thing. Everyone around me understands the process I went through; I can only do my best.”

The engineer from Melbourne went on a holiday with his winner’s cheque and is saving the rest towards a house deposit when the time is right.

Other previous Men’s and Women’s 120m Open winners to confirm they will be returning to compete this year include Matthew Rizzo and Liv Ryan (2017), Jacob Despard (2018), Dhruv Rodrigues Chico and Lexi Loizou (2019) and Hayley Orman (2021).

Stawell Gift Event Management Chair Cr. Murray Emerson  said: “As the pinnacle of pro running in Australia, the Powercor Stawell Gift holds a special meaning for so many people. Its story is synonymous with Australia’s unique and proud sporting history and is part of the fabric of Stawell and surrounding communities. We’re thrilled to welcome our defending championships back to Stawell and wish them all the best in their quest for historic back-to-back victories.” 

The 141st Powercor Stawell Gift Carnival will take place from April 8-10 at Central Park Stawell. Tickets can be purchased online in advance of the Stawell Gift here. Adult concession tickets start from just $17, while child tickets are free on Family Day.

All three days of the 2023 carnival will feature live stream coverage with finals day broadcast live on the Seven Network on Easter Monday April 10.  

 

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