Sport
2 January, 2026
Gift glory for Ashcroft 17 years after 70 m victory
A full 17 years after achieving victory at the 2009 Highland Gathering, Brendan Ashcroft tasted glory at Princes Park once again, this time claiming the ultimate prize with a superb win in the Max Martin Memorial Men’s Maryborough Gift.
Yesterday’s triumph is a crowning achievement on a stellar sprinting career that’s spanned nearly a quarter of a century.
Ashcroft ensured he did it in style, leading a very talented field for more than half the race to win the final with a time of 12.638, over a tenth quicker than world-class sprinter Cooper Sherman.
“It’s pretty incredible, in 23 or 24 years of running this is my first gift win, so I think there’s an element of disbelief,” Ashcroft said.
“I tore my plantar fascia a couple of years ago and I broke my ankle in April last year. I didn’t really expect to get back to the form I’ve been lucky enough to get to.
“It’s pretty special, I won the 70 m in 2009 and that was sort of the last professional race that my mum was able to come and support.
“She passed away a couple of years after that, so to come back here and win is pretty special.
“I’m very appreciative of the Maryborough Highland Gathering team — seeing things like the Girl on the Drum reminds you this is a special place, I’ll cherish it for a long time.”
Ashcroft built a stellar reputation for himself, especially in the 70 m arena, before spending an extended period away from the track.
With the fire to compete still in his belly, Ashcroft kick-started his journey back to the Highland Gathering mountaintop in the 2018/19 season.
“Scott Rowsell really helped me get back into the sport. I was a little bit lost in who to train with in Melbourne, so he was a big help getting me back into the sport,” Ashcroft said.
“My fiancee, Maddy Parris, is running as well. She won the Bay Sheffield 70 m over the Boxing Day weekend, so it’s pretty special to be able to share the sport with someone like that.”
Returning to a sport after a noticeable time away can be incredibly tricky, especially as father time begins to rear its ugly head.
For Ashcroft however, who’s set to turn 36 this June, he believes he hasn’t slowed down.
“I think there’s something innate about trying to be as fast as you can. It’s a special feeling,” he said.
“I always have the belief that I can go faster. There’s obviously a ceiling on that, but I’m going to keep trying until I can’t.
“I don’t want to stop and to get to do it somewhere like this, which is unique, is a privilege.
“It puts a lot of stress on the body, so when you can get through some races healthy, it’s pretty special as well.”
With a mark of eight metres, Ashcroft made quick work of his talented and mostly younger counterparts early in the day, setting the benchmark with the fastest heat time in the first race of the men’s gift.
Ashcroft followed that up with the quickest time during the semi-final stage, giving himself an extra jolt of confidence ahead of the final with a time of 12.622.
Despite his rapid pace during the preliminary phases, Ashcroft said he ensured he didn’t get ahead of himself, especially with sprinters like Sherman, who ran off a 0.25 m mark, breathing down his neck near the finish line.
“A few people had said that I was in with a good shot, but I’d tried to block that out because you never know what’s going to happen on the day,” he said.
“You’ve got Cooper Sherman in that race and he’s an electric athlete and I’m privileged to be able to share the track with him.
“Ultimately it comes down to the final race and Cooper was right there at the end.
“I just see the finish line and go for it, I can’t control what happens with others in the race, all I can do is try and hold my form and run through the line.”