OPINION
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NOW is the time for female sprinters to really make their mark.
This Easter will mark the third year Stawell Women’s 120-metre Gift will boast a $40,000 winning prize on parity with the title event which, while not exclusive to men, has never had a female get past the heats.
No longer a novelty, the flow-on effects are really starting show in a tougher field.
Stawell Women’s Gift will pull the limit from 14m back to 11m in what will have a massive impact in contests. Those in front must work harder to keep their lead and more high-quality women at the back have a tighter field to hunt.
A dedicated women’s 70-metre event, new to the Stawell program this season, offers added incentive and another option for a female sprint hit-out where marks are even tighter.
When the prize pool for the marquee women’s sprint increased ten-fold in 2015, there was a public outcry about women not being as fast or competing in the same numbers as male sprinters at Central Park.
But the aim was that more money promoted all this for the women’s sprint in sharing top billing.
And it is starting to show.
Ballarat’s POD Squad teenagers have captured the past three Women’s Gift wins: Holly Dobbyn, then Grace O’Dwyer and Talia Martin on parity. Each year the field draws more elite competition and hungrier contenders.
Tightening the field limit can only help make competition stronger.
Ararat sprinter Sarah Blizzard has been experiencing the difference. Blizzard is vying for a fourth consecutive Women’s Gift final in Stawell.
She has been sharpening her trade in Canberra, under Olympian Matt Beckenham, in a squad boasting Olympic talent like Australia’s fastest female Mel Breen and newly crowned Australian 200m hurdles record holder Lauren Wells.
Both will be in contention at Central Park, with Breen a vocal advocate and key driver for equal prizemoney in the Women’s Gift, while also trying to break the semi-final barrier for women in the Stawell Gift.
Blizzard said the added spotlight that came with more money on the line was important.
“It definitely has made a big difference, not only to the number of females entering the Women’s Gift, but the quality as well,” Blizzard said.
"It means a lot to female sprinters and athletes. We train just as hard as the men.”
Interestingly, Stawell Athletic Club is finding it easier to find sponsorship right now for women’s races than the predominantly male open equivalents.
The club has found the increasing promotion of elite women’s sports, such as AFLW or Women’s Big Bash League cricket, has really created a push to be backing women’s sport.
Stawell’s historic prominence, drawing attention from outside sporting enthusiasts, means it can help set the tone in sport equity across the nation.
There is plenty of hype about the top males in action at Stawell, but exposure for female sprinters is building. The stage is now set for female sprinters to demand the attention they deserve.
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