News
Young gun Breen to make Stawell debut
One of Australia’s most promising athletes of the future will join one of its most experienced campaigners at the Stawell Gift this Easter.
Young gun Melissa Breen will make her debut at Central Park alongside world indoor champion and Stawell veteran Tamsyn Lewis (pictured).
The addition of Breen and Lewis to the already impressive list of male athletes in the Australia Post Stawell Gift will see one of the strongest line-ups of Australian sprinters in the event's 128-year history.
Six national champions, three Beijing Olympians and eight world championship squad members will attempt to make their mark on the famous grass track at Central Park this Easter.
Breen, dubbed one of Australia’s most exciting young talents, is no stranger to the professional running circuit. The 18-year-old has run numerous Gifts in New South Wales and Canberra, including the Queanbeyan Gift where she took out the women’s gift event in 2007 and women’s invitational backmarkers in 2008.
Breen was Australia’s fastest women over 100m last year with a 11.33sec run in Canberra, eight-hundredths of a second faster than Olympic silver medalist Sally McLellan (11.41sec).
Recently selected in the squad for this year’s world championships in Berlin, her first Australian selection, Breen has entered the Strickland Family Women’s Gift – 120m, the Redvys Cooper Memorial Jack Donaldson Handicap - 200 metres and the Gift Hotel Arthur Postle Handicap - 70 metres.
At 30 years of age, Lewis has revitalised her career in 2009.
Choosing to move away from the 800m event that saw her take home a world indoor gold medal in 2008, Lewis has set her eyes on the 400m hurdles event for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and 2012 London Olympics.
Results have come quicker than expected for Lewis, narrowly taking out the 400m hurdles Australian championships to take her tally to 15 national titles, surpassing Cathy Freeman and Raelene Boyle, and gaining her selection in the new event for this year’s world championships.
A huge supporter of the Australia Post Stawell Gift, Lewis first ran at Stawell in 1994 and will return to Central Park in 2009 supported by her training group.
Lewis has entered the Strickland Family Women’s Gift – 120m, the Redvys Cooper Memorial Jack Donaldson Handicap - 200 metres and the Endura Sports Nutrition Lorraine Donnan Women's Handicap - 400 metres.
Three-time national champion (400m hurdles) and Les McIntyre Queanbeyan Women’s Gift winner Lauren Boden, New South Wales’ Laura Whaler and South Australia’s Leanne Hodge will also join Breen and Lewis at Stawell this Easter.
For more information on the 2009 Australia Post Stawell Gift please visit www.stawellgift.com
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletters to keep up to date with Athletics in Australia.
More Headlines
