LIMESTONE Coast sprinter Hayden Crowe has welcomed the possible return of the Mount Gambier Gift with Mount Gambier City Council discussing the matter at last night’s People and Place committee meeting.
A dedicated Mount Gambier Little Athletics member in addition to a state and national level athlete, Hayden travels to Adelaide around four times a year for competitions, in addition to Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and across the border to the highly-regarded Stawell Gift.
With the Gift last held in the Blue Lake city in 2011, Hayden said he “cannot even remember” the event, but was excited to see it return.
“I am 15 – almost 16 – but I do not remember ever having the event here,” he said.
“We would have to travel to somewhere like Adelaide to enter an event like that.
“I think it would be great to see it return to town.”
During his short but successful career in the sport, Hayden has travelled across the country entering races but said the sport was underappreciated in the Limestone Coast.
“I do not think young kids maybe know enough about running, or Little Athletics,” he said.
“Having the Gift back here would probably raise a bit more awareness for kids and other people.
“I think it would help us get more recognition and make people think about how they could take part.
“There might be some great sprinters out there that just have never tried the sport because they do not know much about it – this could change that.”
If reinstated, the event will take place during the first week of December at Vansittart Park.
