14-year-old speedster takes out Open 70m at Portarlington Gift

14-year-old speedster Tannah Hildebrand announced herself in her hometown earlier this month, taking out the Open 70m event at the inaugural Portarlington Gift.

The Portarlington local turned heads as she outpaced far older rivals and became the maiden winner of the event in a tight finish.

“When I crossed the line, I hadn’t realised I’d won yet because it was such a tight race,” Hildebrand explained.

“The moment I realised was when they said my name over the loudspeaker.

“It felt so amazing knowing I had won a race in my hometown. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face!”

The already impressive day did not stop there, with Hildebrand also reaching the final of the main race of the day, the Open 120m Gift.

The youngster said that racing against competitors far older than her became a motivating factor, along with the support of her family and friends on the sidelines.

“It did change my mindset a bit, but I think it had me more determined to win because I knew it was going to be a harder and more talented race.

“I felt more excited than nervous.

“What definitely also helped me was the amount of support I had cheering and encouraging me along the fences.

“But also, knowing that this was the first time it was ran at Portarlington turned something on in my head thinking that it would be a dream to win this women’s race in my hometown. I absolutely loved it!”

Hildebrand typically only competes at the Stawell Gift and spends most of her time running at Little Athletics level, but jumped at the opportunity to race in her hometown.

“It was really a privilege and an exciting time running at Portarlington,” she said.

She thanked her family and wider team for helping her achieve the incredible victory.

“My coach Peter Walsh has been amazing to me.

“He has helped me improve tremendously, running crazy personal bests that I never thought I would run and helping me achieve my goals.

“My squad, Geelong Sprint Club, have also guided me through everything.”

Hildebrand’s success in Portarlington has gotten her sights set on making the Little Athletics and Senior Nationals, which will both run in Brisbane later this year.