Joel Bee is confident of producing big results from the back mark of this year's Australian Post Stawell Gift.
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The Stawell Gift handicaps were released early last week and although happy with his 0.75 metre handicap Bee would have liked to have ran off scratch.
With no marquee runners or overseas sprinters such as Asafa Powell and Kim Collins, Melbourne based Bee is the one to watch.
"It would have been nice to run off scratch, because once you're at the back you're at the back," Bee said.
"Then you get that extra bit of glory knowing you did it off scratch."
Bee is in what he believed to be the form of his life after he claimed the silver medal in the 100 metres at the Australian Athletics Championships in Melbourne a couple of weeks back.
Prior to that victory he won the Trinity Gift as well as the Stonnington invitational from scratch.
Bee put his good form down to the work he and his coach Joshua Ross have done.
Ross, a two time Stawell Gift champion himself, has been putting Bee through his paces to give him the best chance of winning the Stawell Gift, since he is unable to compete himself.
Bee, earlier in his running career, dominated at the junior level running 400 metre events, but has put that on hold for the next couple of years.
"I just want to focus on the 100s and 200s at the moment. It's all about getting speed in the legs," Bee said.
"If I can win at Stawell who knows where I will go from there."
Bee has been training hard to qualify for the upcoming Commonwealth Games and is happy that the Stawell Gift fits in nicely with his training schedule.
"It will be nice to be at my peak when I get to Stawell," Bee said.
"Then I'll have a couple of weeks off before continuing to try and qualify for the Commonwealth Games."
Last year Bee arrived in Stawell with a tight hamstring which flared up after his heat.
Bee ran off 4.25 metres last year in his semi, but unfortunately his sore hamstring got the better of him as he lunged for the line.
If Bee can remain injury free this year he will give himself his best chance of claiming the prestigious race.
"I'm pretty confident I will make the semis, from there it is whatever happens."
Bee, his training partner who is also running at Stawell and his coach Joshua Ross will stay in Ballarat over the three day carnival.
"We're all very keen to get back to Stawell and show everyone what we've got."