30 YEARS AGO: Glenn Crawford overcomes controversy to claim 1995 Stawell Gift

Date: 3rd March 2025

In what would become one of the more dramatic stories in Stawell Gift history, Victorian Glenn Crawford powered through controversy, disqualification and a high-pressure final to claim a magnificent victory in the 1995 edition of Australia’s richest footrace. 

The 22-year-old sprinter was living in Northcote in Melbourne but grew up in Katamatite between Shepperton and Cobram.  He had been installed as an early 4/1 Gift favourite at the ‘Call of the Card’ on Good Friday night and was amongst a star-studded lineup of six former winners – Paul Singleton (1984), Scott Antonich (1985), Dean Capobianco (1990), Steve Brimacombe (1991) and Jason Richardson (1993) as well as 1994 champion Rodney Lewis. 

There was also legendary 400-metre Olympic champion and four-time Commonwealth Games Gold medallist, Cathy Freeman who was eliminated in the Open men’s heats but stunned Central Park two days later with an outstanding performance to win the Lorraine Donnan Handicap (400m) final off scratch.

Crawford’s chances increased amongst spectators after Olympic relay gold medallist and backmarker from America, Jon Drummond withdrew from the competition. Fellow backmarker and Nigerian Olympic silver medallist, Davidson Ezinwa was another member of the 1995 Gift’s star-studded lineup but pulled out after his heat due to a hamstring injury.

Crawford was noted during the ’94 Stawell Carnival a year prior when he captured the Bill Howard (100m) Handicap title, off six metres in 10.29 seconds. His previous success at Stawell and training amongst a high-class stable positioned Crawford as an early race favourite. 

“I won the Bill Howard and at the time my coach was Jim Bradley, a seasoned veteran in the game, so I thought we had a good chance of winning,” said Crawford. “He (Jim Bradley) didn’t really let me run all that much that year because he was pretty happy with my mark.” 

However, Crawford’s path to Stawell victory was anything but straightforward. Moments after winning his heat by four metres, Crawford was sensationally disqualified for alleged “inconsistent performances” due to an unsubmitted run at Aberfeldie Park earlier in the year. 

“In that particular race, they had missed the start in terms of when the gun went off, so it was a slower race, and the present official told us to disregard that time,” Crawford said. “I didn’t submit the time as I didn’t think anything of it, and fortunately for me, the same official from Aberfeldie was at the Stawell Gift and could verify that. It was a bit traumatic actually because I thought I was out.” 

Crawford and his team lodged an immediate appeal that was eventually upheld but yet another disqualification inquiry was opened on Sunday due to another “inconsistent performance” – this time from a run at the Smithton Carnival in Tasmania weeks earlier. 

“On the Sunday I went to Horsham just to get away from it all and came back to learn that I’d been disqualified again,” said Crawford. “I had a bit of an injury and was cautious of that, and I was able to show that I’d been carrying it through that particular race, which led to the performance not being as good as it could have been and was put back in for the race at Stawell again.” 

Despite some off-track drama, Crawford delivered a sensational performance in his semi-final, recording a blistering 11.78 seconds – the fastest Stawell Gift semi time in 24 years. In the final, he surged to victory in 11.79 seconds ahead of second place and fellow Victorian runner, Nick Rodda by two and a half metres, cementing his place in Stawell Gift history with a dominant win. 

The 1995 Gift saw prizemoney increased to $60,000, with the winner’s cheque at $30,000, also drawing the largest crowd since 1987. Crawford thanked Jason Richardson, Pat O’Kane and ‘Jack’ Carr for their assistance during his appeal hearings when presented with his trophy.

Later in 1995, newly appointed VAL president Chris Perry announced that Crawford was cleared of any wrongdoing and saw the $2000 fine imposed quashed and the charge laid against him withdrawn.

“I probably look back on the win a bit more fondly now as at the time I saw it as more of a stepping stone to the next thing”, Crawford said. “Having dealt with everything I think it did make the win better, it felt like I’d been targeted, and I needed to just turn up and show my running as my coach would say.

“Once I was put back in the race, I was very focused to prove a point as I had worked very hard for a year and dedicated my life to it, trained seven days a week for a whole year.”

Following his ’95 success, Crawford’s focus turned toward other aspirations. “After the Gift, I ran through until the Sydney Olympics trying to make that but wasn’t good enough in the end. I then played a few social years of footy, and I haven’t run competitively since 2000,” said Crawford.

Reflecting on the Stawell Gift, Crawford acknowledged its enduring legacy and importance in the world of athletics.

“I think with the Stawell Gift, it’s one of the few remaining things in this world where there’s still tradition, with over 140 years of history and it’s still there which is quite amazing,” said Crawford. “Especially in a sport that isn’t as highly regarded in the vernacular of Australian sports generally, so it’s a remarkable event from that point of view historically. And it’s a lovely thing for those in the sport to have as an aspiration and keep the body engaged.”

 

Comments are closed.