Runners give it their all in the women's 120m semi-final, with Lucy Zotti (pink) going on to win the event.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
The George Nelson Shepparton Gift has been run and won with almost 300 athletes donning the spikes at the Shepparton Showgrounds on Saturday.
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Runners enjoyed perfect grass conditions as both sprint and distance races delivered thrilling finishes, and those watching on would not have been disappointed by the on-track action.
“I think at one stage, the crowd probably peaked at 1000,” Shepparton Gift organiser Gerard Adams said.
“There was just some fantastic feedback from the athletes; they love the grass surface and the facilities there at the Showgrounds.
“They just felt it was so relaxed.”
Seymour Running Club and Kelfit stable star Lucy Zotti added her third sash of the VAL season in the feature ICG women’s 120m event, converting back-to-back finals appearances in Wangaratta and Ballarat into a well-deserved win.
Running off a mark of 11.5m, Zotti ran first in her heat and semi-final before blitzing the final in a time of 13.5 seconds, pipping fellow Seymour athlete Olivia Barry by less than a tenth of a second.
Maggie Stoney storms across the line in the women's semi-final.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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The men's semi-final went right down to the wire.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Chiara Santiglia locks in during the women's semi-final.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Nicholas Antonio (white) and Joel Stapleton go toe-to-toe in the men's 120m semi-final.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Jemma Stapleton (yellow) and Amner Van Eede dash to the line.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Robynne Nelson, daughter of event namesake and champion sportsman George Nelson, addresses the crowd.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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The crowd watches on.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Victory in the sprint distance at Shepparton comes after Zotti conquered the 400 and 800m races at the Seymour Gift in December, and it’s a tidy season resume’ the Seymour speedster is building with three races to run in the season.
In the men’s 120m, Owen de Vries’ breakout season continued in fine fashion, adding the Shepparton Gift to his tally of sprint distance wins.
De Vries crossed the line first off a mark of 15.25m in the final, clearing runner-up Brodie Smith by .11 of a second, adding the 120m sash to his 100m version gained at the Beachside Gift in January.
The other sprint winners included Domenico Condello in the over-35s, Corey Williams in the 70m event, while in the under-18 120m races it was brother-sister duo Oakly and Anya Davies taking out the boys and girls editions respectively.
Nancy Halpin rounded out the junior winners with victory in the under-14s 120m.
Honours in the 800m belonged to Charlie Sutherland, while Samuel Zotti brought home another sash for Kelfit in the 1600m finale’, pulling away to win by more than four seconds.
Invincible Spirit Medals were handed out to the winners of the 400m runs, with Stefan Catalano and Kelsie Roberts coming out on top in the middle distances. Sam Blennerhassett took out the under-18 edition.
With the latest edition since its 2023 revival in the books, the organising committee is looking to go bigger still in 2027.
But many hands make light work, and the Shepparton Gift committee is searching for more volunteers to build on the ever-evolving event.
Enquiries in that regard can be made to Gerard Adams at 0439 880 445.
