Geelong’s Tom Hečimović on Easter Monday captured first place in the Men’s Master’s 800 metres Series Final at the famous Stawell Gift event.
With a winning time of 1:51.23, the 55 year old Hečimović – who is based in Melbourne, these days – outclassed the field in the Over 45’s event, which included several runners much younger than him.
Boosted by the appearance of Australian athletics’ current ‘golden child’, 17 year old sprinter Gout Gout, Monday’s event attracted a massive crowd in excess of 10,000 spectators.
Athletes handicapped according to form and ability
The actual Stawell Gift – a handicapped race over 120 metres – has been held in the small Victorian country town of Stawell since 1878 and is one of the world’s most famous and prestigious foot races.
Unlike the World Championships or Olympic Games which are conducted on synthetic rubber surfaces, the Stawell Gift is run on a grass track at the town’s AFL club’s iconic ground.
Athletes are handicapped according to form and ability. Starting off at varying marks accordingly, the runners race for glory and prize money.
The main race of the day is the Stawell Gift which is run over 120m, with the final traditionally held on the Easter Monday.
Apart from the showcase sprint event, several other support events are staged throughout the weekend including the Men’s Over 45’s 800 metre sprint event which Hečimović took out.
“It was pretty special to finally win a Stawell sash yesterday in the Masters’ 800 metres,” Hečimović told the Croatian Herald on Tuesday.
Having run competitively for close to 18 years, Hečimović explained that the Stawell event was the culmination of the athletics season in Victoria.
“It’s like the grand final of our sport, with our season starting in October and basically finishing with the Stawell Gift event,” explained Hečimović.
“Winning at Stawell this year was made even better by getting to share the moment with some incredible results from my training squad,” he added.
“They are such a special group of people who make me laugh and inspire me to keep going.”
Age is just a number
According to Hečimović, winning a race at Stawell is something that’s very special to him. It’s also something that all the athletes in ‘our league aspire to achieve’. However, there was an even more important element to the triumph.
“Honestly, it’s the pure joy of being able to do the work and enjoy training, day in day out. And at my age, that’s what drives me to do what I do,” admitted Hečimović.
“Age is just a number, and anyone can get fit and compete if they really want it badly enough.
“It’s simply a happiness that money can’t buy,” concluded Hečimović.