Sport
30 December, 2025
Athletes will race for nearly $40,000 in prize money at Thursday’s Highland Gathering
A collection of Victoria’s most supreme runners are ready to take the stage at Princes Park and deliver a New Year’s bash this Thursday at the prestigious Maryborough Gift.
Nearly $40,000 in prize money will be up for grabs in the Victorian Athletic League’s (VAL) first race meet of 2026, headlined by the 120 m Glenn Hooper women’s and Max Martin Memorial men’s Gifts, which have an equal purse of $15,000 each.
A total of 92 sprinters have officially entered themselves for a chance at ultimate glory, creating a pair of stacked lineups for each event.
Adding to the intrigue of this year’s event is the guarantee that new winners will be crowned in both Gifts, with 2025 champions Asthika Koswattage and Nyajima Jock not entering to defend their titles.
Two of last year’s men’s finalists will hope to hold the coveted sword aloft on New Year’s Day, including one of Australia’s best all-round sprinters, Cooper Sherman, running off the lowest mark of 0.25 m.
Endale Mekonnen is the other returning finalist from 2025, keen to start his 2026 with an impressive performance in Maryborough.
After finishing third and sixth in the 2025 Stawell Gift, Mitchell O’Neill and Joshua Lotsu are also among the favourites, as is Dion Paull, who is hoping to maintain his sensational form after winning the Seymour Gift in December.
Chris Vi is also among the stacked field, looking to replicate his Maryborough Gift triumph in 2023.
In the women’s Gift, Sophia Fighera will have the shortest mark of 1.25 m and will need to chase down some talented contenders.
Among those contenders is 2025 Stawell Gift bronze medallist Jemma Stapleton, who finished sixth in this event last year.
Fellow 2025 Stawell Gift finalists Armani Anderson and Jasmine Rowe both have strong chances of contending for the sash alongside Kylee Drew, who’s fresh off winning the Seymour Gift.
Similar to fellow 2025 Mary-borough Gift finalists Stapleton and Rowe, Andrea Hearne will be keen to do one better after finishing second last year by less than three tenths. Ilana Grandine and Shauna Herbst are also returning following strong performances in 2025.
Including the men’s and women’s Gifts, 16 events are on the timetable, with the open 200 m, men’s and women’s 400 m, 800 m open and 1600 m masters and open competitions all offering prize money of $1000.
The Highland Gathering track events will commence at 10 am with the 800 m heats, ending after 6 pm with the 1600 m masters final.
The women’s gift heats will commence at approximately 1.29 pm, followed by semis at 3.05 pm and the final scheduled for 5.12 pm.
The men’s gift will follow their women’s counterparts with the heats at 1.47 pm, the semis pencilled for 3.11 pm and the final timetabled for 5.22 pm.