Hobart sprinter and Olympic relay runner Jacob Despard wants to win the Burnie Gift again but there is a pretty strong field being assembled.
Despard has also won the Stawell and Devonport Gifts and although many might think he would be concentrating on adding a few other Carnivals locations to his Gift list, Burnie holds a special place and he’s set himself to make it a double.
“Growing up in Tasmania and competing at the Christmas carnivals are some of the most cherished moments of my athletics career. Ray Quarrell, who lives and breathes the sport in Tasmania was my coach at the time. He’s always been a great mentor and Burnie will bring back a lot of great memories of winning at 16 in front of my parents and some of my family.
“I’ve heard so many stories from Ray throughout the years. Simon Bresnahan winning Burnie coached by Ray. Luke Whitney won Burnie coached by Ray. Coming back to Burnie, I’ll be thinking of Ray and that day as a sixteen year old.”
“I think the advantage that I have in Burnie this year is that I’ve been there before. I’ve won there before and I know what to expect. I don’t know what the guys in front of me will be thinking when I’m running them down, but if I was in their position, I’d probably be a little bit nervous. I’m excited. I think what I can do at Burnie and if I can get the win, even better.”
A few short months ago Despard was in Paris where the Australian 4x100metre relay team set a new Australian record of 38.12 in their heat just 0.2 of a second off the time of seventh placed China and 62 hundredths of a second slower than gold medallists, Canada.
He’s in great shape, rested and ready to fire with an eye on a nostalgic win in Burnie.
Get you tickets to see how Jacob fares at the New Year’s Eve event: