Burnie Gift

The Burnie Gift is a professional footrace held in Burnie, Tasmania during an annual sports carnival, held on a grass track at West Park Oval on New Year's Eve. It is conducted by the Tasmanian Athletic League in conjunction with the Burnie Athletic Club. The Burnie Gift is a sprint event conducted over the traditional 'Gift' distance of 120 metres.

E.R. Terry of Pyengana (11 yds), wins the 1925 Burnie Gift in 13 secs from A.M. Stuart (Hobart), M. Campbell (Devonport), and G.F. Triffett (Queenstown)[1]

Athletes are allocated handicaps with a range from scratch (running the full 120 metres) to the current limit of 12.00 metres. An athlete off 12.00m would run 108 metres. Most athletes (and winners) run from a handicap between 5.0m and 10.0m, thereby covering anywhere from 115m to 110m. Handicaps are assigned by a panel based on an assessment of each athlete’s track performances.[2] Athletes are separated by lane ropes as opposed to painted lanes on synthetic tracks. The finish line is a finishing gate that each athlete must run through to record a time.

The Burnie Carnival is the premier running carnival in Tasmania and is considered one of the 'big three' professional Gifts in Australia along with Victoria's Stawell Gift and the Bay Sheffield in South Australia. Along with the feature event, the Burnie carnival includes races over 90m, 400m and 1600m. The Burnie carnival is one of three Tasmanian Christmas Carnivals conducted over a seven-day period from 26 December to January 1. The other carnivals are held at Latrobe and Devonport.

History

First run in 1885, it was initially held as the Sheffield Handicap and was renamed to Burnie Gift for the 1908 event.[3] The carnival was traditionally held on New Year's Day, but switched to New Year's Eve in 2019. Two carnivals were held in 2019.[4] The distance was originally 130 yards, and switched to 120 metres in 1973. The Women's Gift was introduced in 1995, although was known for the first few years as the Women's 120m Handicap.[5]

Dean Capobianco (1991) was the first athlete to win the race off scratch (running the full 120 metres). Joshua Ross (2004 and 2007) is the only man to have won the Gift twice off the scratch mark. Capobianco and Ross are the only national 100m champions to have won the Gift.

In 2018, Hobart sprinter Jack Hale was given an unprecedented handicap of -1 metres, giving him 121 metres to run. [6]

Winners
YearMen's Burnie GiftWomen's Burnie Gift
2019 Abdoulie Asim GAMBIA Morgan Gaffney TAS[7]
2019 Ash Moloney QLD[8] Bec Kovacic TAS[9]
2018Daniel Reeves TASKiani Allen TAS[10]
2017Jorden Englund TASMorgan Gaffney TAS[11]
2016John Howe TASLilly Castle TAS[12]
2015Simon Fitzpatrick VICKimberley Geelan TAS[13]
2014Adam Coote VICCara Boustead VIC[14]
2013Jacob Despard TASMorgan Gaffney TAS[15]
2012Brendan Cole ACTLaura-Jane Hilditch VIC[16]
2011Robbie James SAMorgan Gaffney TAS[17]
2010Ollie Wurm VICSandy Loring TAS[18]
2009Clay Watkins SAAlicia Wrench-Doody SA[19]
2008Duncan Tippins SAOlivia Mills TAS[19]
2007Joshua Ross NSWMelissa Kay TAS[20]
2006Cameron Yorke WAKatie Moore VIC[21]
2005Luke Whitney TASMegan Hines NSW[19]
2004Joshua Ross NSWMadelin Poke TAS[19]
2003Carnival abandoned due to rain
2002Darren Rogers WAAnne-Marie Mouri-Nkeng CAMEROON[19]
2001Craig Brown VICTamika Johnston TAS[19]
2000Matt Stevenson TASMelissa Kay TAS[19]
1999Simon Bresnehan TASEmma Marshall TAS[19]
1998Shaun Turale TASKasey Kuusisalo TAS[22]
1997Paul Pearce VICEmma Marshall TAS[19]
1996David Downie TASLauren Hewitt VIC[19]
1995Paul Slupecki VICDonna Collins NSW[5]
1994Shane Hearn WA
1993Simon Bresnehan TAS
1992Todd Ireland VIC
1991Dean Capobianco WA
1990Robert Kirsopp VIC
1989John Riggs TAS
1988Anthony Grima VIC
1987Frank Corsello VIC
1986Mark Hipworth VIC
1985Wayne Johncock TAS
1984Gary Wescombe TAS
1983Lee Berwick TAS
1982Michael Geary TAS
1981Neil King VIC
1980Gary French TAS
1979Ian Hagger VIC
1978Gary Wescombe TAS
1977Steve Roach TAS
1976Kevin Portch NSW
1975Gerard Thompson TAS
1974John Mowat VIC
1973Max Seymour TAS
1972Ralph Heffernan TAS
1971Barry Poulter NSW
1970Kerry Badcock TAS
1968Phillip Lincoln TAS

References
  1. Burnie Sports, The Mercury, (Friday 2 January 1925), p.8. Sports in the Country, ‘’The Argus’’, (Friday, 2 January 1925), p.2.
  2. Tasmanian Athletic League. "Tasmanian Athletic League Sprint Handicapping Guidelines 2017 / 2018" (PDF). sportstg.com.
  3. "BURNIE ATHLETIC CLUB". The North Western Advocate And The Emu Bay Times. Tasmania, Australia. 25 September 1907. p. 3. Retrieved 4 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. Alex Fair (July 23, 2019). "Burnie Carnival moving from New Year's Day to New Year's Eve". The Examiner.
  5. "Women Competing at the Burnie Gift". burniegift.com. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  6. Brad Cole (January 1, 2018). "Hale set to do a bit extra". The Examiner.
  7. Alex Fair. "Morgan Gaffney, Abdoulie Asim win 2019 Burnie Gifts". The Examiner.
  8. Alex Fair (1 January 2019). "Big win for Ash Moloney in the Burnie Gift". The Examiner.
  9. Alex Fair (1 January 2019). "Burnie Gift win a day that Bec Kovacic will never forget". The Examiner.
  10. Alex Fair (1 January 2018). "Reeves' sprints to Burnie Gift victory". The Examiner.
  11. Carla Howarth (3 January 2017). "Burnie Gift: Tasmanian Morgan Gaffney outpaces Olympian Morgan Mitchell in 2017 race". ABC News.
  12. Lauren Waldhuter (2 January 2016). "Tasmanians take out Burnie Gift and Women's Wheel against star-studded line-ups". ABC News.
  13. "Burnie Carnival results". The Advocate. 1 January 2015.
  14. "Victorian runners dominate at the Burnie carnival". ABC News. 2 January 2014.
  15. "O'Shea's clean sweep of Tasmania's cycling carnivals". ABC News. 2 January 2013.
  16. Shannon Shephard (1 January 2012). "Winner close to tears". The Advocate.
  17. "History for Gaffney with third gift win". The Examiner. 1 January 2017.
  18. "Local athletes big winners at Burnie Carnival". ABC News. 2 January 2010.
  19. "The Burnie Gift, history 1987 to present". burniegift.com.
  20. "MacFarlane beats men to take Burnie Carnival honours". ABC News. 2 January 2007.
  21. "2006 Burnie Carnival". The Examiner. 2 January 2006.
  22. "Burnie Gift anger". The Examiner. 2 January 1998.
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