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“What definitely also helped me was the amount of support I had cheering and encouraging me along the fences.<\/p>\n
“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!”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“It was really a privilege and an exciting time running at Portarlington,” she said.<\/p>\n
She thanked her family and wider team for helping her achieve the incredible victory.<\/p>\n
“My coach Peter Walsh has been amazing to me.<\/p>\n
“He has helped me improve tremendously, running crazy personal bests that I never thought I would run and helping me achieve my goals.<\/p>\n
“My squad, Geelong Sprint Club, have also guided me through everything.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n