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Koschade's Whyalla Gift win is a big surprise.
An hour after winning the 37th edition of the BHP Billiton & City of Whyalla 120m Whyalla Gift, former Sturt footballer Ben Koschade was still shaking his head in disbelief. Koschade had not run since December last year and was only having his first start for the season after returning from injury. In a surprise result Koschade 30, running off a handicap of 7.25m beat his stable mate Dylan Hicks (8.50m) and Victorian Adam Coote (9.00m) to win South Australia’s second-longest running 120m Gift. Koschade’s winning time of 12.91s was the slowest ever since the Whyalla Gift was first run in 1943, due largely to the gale force head winds that confronted the athletes.
“It’s been four years since I last won and nearly a year since I last run so this is a big surprise” said Koschade who wore long black compression socks to alleviate the lower leg problems that have kept him off the track until now.
Koschade was a brilliant junior athlete, being placed 5th at the 2000 national Under 20’s championship as a 17 year-old, running 48.35 for 400m and 10.92 (100m). He then put athletics on hold as he pursued a football career with Sturt in the SANFL, playing regularly in the reserves. In 2004 he resumed his athletics career with the SA Athletic League and has won the 2006 Camden Classic and 2008 Loxton Gift – his last win before Whyalla.
Koschade’s coach Brendan Tammo produced four of the six finalists including the quinella and the stable has now won each of the three Gifts held this season after Dylan Hicks won both the Port and Henley Gifts.
AFL Grand Final boundary umpire Adam Coote made the 12-hour drive from Melbourne worth his while, not only picking up 3rd place in the Gift but winning the Veolia Environmental Services 70m Novice/Lions Club 50m skins double. Coote was 3rd in the 2012 Stawell Gift and will return for the Bay Sheffield as one of the leading interstate contenders.
In a stunning SA Athletic League debut, Natasha Wright 21, who had not competed in any form of athletics since March 2008, won the Broadspectrum Women’s 120m by 4m in the relatively quick time of 14.56s. Running off the back mark of 4.50m, Wright was far too good for Ali Trewartha (10.75) and Andrea Di Paolo (7.00m) giving her coach Brendan Tammo the 120m feature double. Wright was an outstanding junior, finishing 5th as a 16-year-old in the 2008 national Under 20 100m title. After four years of various injuries, her long-awaited return to the track could not have got off to a better start.
2011 Whyalla Gift winner Tom Sclanders who also won the 70m novice last year, returned to win his third race at the Whyalla carnival taking out the Hotel Eyre 300m Open. Running off the back mark of 18m, Sclanders stormed down the outside to beat frontmarker Ben Wright (26m) and 2010 Whyalla Gift winner Stephan Thiel (24m) in the very good time of 33.25s.
Dual Women’s Bay Sheffield winner Lynette Mattingly put aside her disappointing run in her 120m heat to impressively win the McLeod’s Holden Women’s 300m. Mattingly (21m) recorded 38.26s to beat her McKinnon Parade stablemate Amy Robb (28m) and last year’s winner Bridgid Connolly (14m). Mattingly will now head to Canberra this Saturday to compete in the $16,000 Women’s Gift at Queanbeyan.
Flagstaff athletic club’s Ben Crawford won the big middle distance double, taking out both the 800m and the 1600m. In the Telstra Shop Whyalla 800m, Crawford (68m) pushed hard down the back straight to hunt down veteran frontmarkers Mark Beveridge (90m) and Richard McMahon (112m) in 1min 53.14s. Later in the night, Crawford (150m) became the hunted as he held off a gallant challenge from McKinnon Parade’s Stephen Jelfs (140m) to win the Quest Apartments 1600m in 4mins 18.85secs.
Crawford’s stablemate Eugene DeVizio made it a Flagstaff treble when he took out the Transpacific Over 35’s 300m. DeVizio (68m) won his first sash when he beat the Turners - Sue (80m) and husband John (54m) in 34.83s.
The only female in the field, Hayley Orman 18 upstaged the boys to win the MDRF Under 20’s 120m. A former Western District amateur athlete, Orman (17.00) held off the two Sudanese lads Deng Bulabek (4.75m) and Valentino Yuel (7.00m) to win her first SAAL sash in 13.70s.
The next SA Athletic League meet is Sacred Heart, scheduled for Sunday 2nd December.
An hour after winning the 37th edition of the BHP Billiton & City of Whyalla 120m Whyalla Gift, former Sturt footballer Ben Koschade was still shaking his head in disbelief. Koschade had not run since December last year and was only having his first start for the season after returning from injury. In a surprise result Koschade 30, running off a handicap of 7.25m beat his stable mate Dylan Hicks (8.50m) and Victorian Adam Coote (9.00m) to win South Australia’s second-longest running 120m Gift. Koschade’s winning time of 12.91s was the slowest ever since the Whyalla Gift was first run in 1943, due largely to the gale force head winds that confronted the athletes.
“It’s been four years since I last won and nearly a year since I last run so this is a big surprise” said Koschade who wore long black compression socks to alleviate the lower leg problems that have kept him off the track until now.
Koschade was a brilliant junior athlete, being placed 5th at the 2000 national Under 20’s championship as a 17 year-old, running 48.35 for 400m and 10.92 (100m). He then put athletics on hold as he pursued a football career with Sturt in the SANFL, playing regularly in the reserves. In 2004 he resumed his athletics career with the SA Athletic League and has won the 2006 Camden Classic and 2008 Loxton Gift – his last win before Whyalla.
Koschade’s coach Brendan Tammo produced four of the six finalists including the quinella and the stable has now won each of the three Gifts held this season after Dylan Hicks won both the Port and Henley Gifts.
AFL Grand Final boundary umpire Adam Coote made the 12-hour drive from Melbourne worth his while, not only picking up 3rd place in the Gift but winning the Veolia Environmental Services 70m Novice/Lions Club 50m skins double. Coote was 3rd in the 2012 Stawell Gift and will return for the Bay Sheffield as one of the leading interstate contenders.
In a stunning SA Athletic League debut, Natasha Wright 21, who had not competed in any form of athletics since March 2008, won the Broadspectrum Women’s 120m by 4m in the relatively quick time of 14.56s. Running off the back mark of 4.50m, Wright was far too good for Ali Trewartha (10.75) and Andrea Di Paolo (7.00m) giving her coach Brendan Tammo the 120m feature double. Wright was an outstanding junior, finishing 5th as a 16-year-old in the 2008 national Under 20 100m title. After four years of various injuries, her long-awaited return to the track could not have got off to a better start.
2011 Whyalla Gift winner Tom Sclanders who also won the 70m novice last year, returned to win his third race at the Whyalla carnival taking out the Hotel Eyre 300m Open. Running off the back mark of 18m, Sclanders stormed down the outside to beat frontmarker Ben Wright (26m) and 2010 Whyalla Gift winner Stephan Thiel (24m) in the very good time of 33.25s.
Dual Women’s Bay Sheffield winner Lynette Mattingly put aside her disappointing run in her 120m heat to impressively win the McLeod’s Holden Women’s 300m. Mattingly (21m) recorded 38.26s to beat her McKinnon Parade stablemate Amy Robb (28m) and last year’s winner Bridgid Connolly (14m). Mattingly will now head to Canberra this Saturday to compete in the $16,000 Women’s Gift at Queanbeyan.
Flagstaff athletic club’s Ben Crawford won the big middle distance double, taking out both the 800m and the 1600m. In the Telstra Shop Whyalla 800m, Crawford (68m) pushed hard down the back straight to hunt down veteran frontmarkers Mark Beveridge (90m) and Richard McMahon (112m) in 1min 53.14s. Later in the night, Crawford (150m) became the hunted as he held off a gallant challenge from McKinnon Parade’s Stephen Jelfs (140m) to win the Quest Apartments 1600m in 4mins 18.85secs.
Crawford’s stablemate Eugene DeVizio made it a Flagstaff treble when he took out the Transpacific Over 35’s 300m. DeVizio (68m) won his first sash when he beat the Turners - Sue (80m) and husband John (54m) in 34.83s.
The only female in the field, Hayley Orman 18 upstaged the boys to win the MDRF Under 20’s 120m. A former Western District amateur athlete, Orman (17.00) held off the two Sudanese lads Deng Bulabek (4.75m) and Valentino Yuel (7.00m) to win her first SAAL sash in 13.70s.
The next SA Athletic League meet is Sacred Heart, scheduled for Sunday 2nd December.
