Jacob Despard Targets Twin Triumph at Stawell

Date: 25th March 2025

(Stawell, Vic March 24)- 2018 champion, Jacob Despard returns with the ambition of joining the exclusive two-time winners club this year’s Powercor Stawell Gift. Despard will have to do it against one of the best fields ever assembled in Stawell. We caught up with Jacob last week for an exclusive interview and preview of his 2025 carnival.

You’re returning to Stawell in 2025 after missing the 2024 event. What excites you most about this year’s event?

“I really enjoy competing in Stawell, I’m eager to return after missing out in 2024. The build up this year is exciting, with the announcement of strong competition like Gout Gout and Lachie Kennedy. It’s a great platform to prove myself against the best. I enjoy carnival racing. The, handicap format, the carnival atmosphere is buzzing, and everyone’s there having a good time.”

As a past champion who knows what it takes to win, what message do you have for elite debutants like Gout Gout and, Lachlan Kennedy?

“Winning in 2018 was a big moment in my career. It helped shape my career’s trajectory. Gout and Lachie are both performing at an elite level. They both have a lot in front of them. If I had a message for the boys debuting, ‘take in the atmosphere and look forward to what this iconic event has on offer both on and off the track’.

With such a stacked field this year, does that change your approach or mindset heading into the event?

“It’s one of the strongest fields assembled for this year’s edition. I believe this current crop of sprinters is the most successful in Australia’s history, but it doesn’t change my mindset or approach. My process and preparation is the same, I aim to arrive in Stawell in peak condition. It does allow you to push yourself to a higher level and i’ll take the opportunity with both hands.”

What makes you confident that you can win the 2025 Powercor Stawell Gift?

“I’ve ran on the grass since I was a junior, returning to Stawell and knowing how to attack the grass, how to attack the 120m, I feel like that’s definitely going to leave the ball in my court. Knowing that I can execute when the pressure’s on is something I’m definitely going to use on Easter Monday at Stawell. I’ve already proven that with my 2018 win where everything came down to staying calm and executing my race perfectly. That, combined with my Olympic campaign last year, gives me real confidence heading into this year’s event.”

After making your Olympic debut in Paris as part of Australia’s record-breaking 4x100m team, how will that experience influence your preparation and performance at Stawell this year?

“Competing at the Paris Olympics was the ultimate test of performing under pressure. We had 80,000 people in the stadium, and one chance to get it right. In a relay, there’s no margin for error and you’re running not just for yourself, but for your teammates and your country. We knew that if we executed perfectly, the Australian record would fall. That experience of delivering on the biggest stage, with everything on the line, has given me enormous confidence. When I line up at Stawell this year, I’ll carry that same composure and trust in my preparation. Whether it’s the Olympic final or Easter Monday at Central Park, I’ll rise to the occasion.”

If you close your eyes and picture the 2018 Powercor Stawell Gift final, can you recall your time, handicap, and how that race played out?

“I was off 4.5 meters in the final in the red. I had this vivid dream six months before Stawell that I was going to win in the red, the race went exactly as I thought it would. To head to Stawell that weekend, make the final, be in the red was surreal. I knew that it wasn’t going to be won at the start. I knew that I was going to run over the top of them at the finish. With 30m to go I broke clear and ran 12.11 to win, exactly as I had visualised.”

How did winning Stawell impact your life, and what would it mean to join the exclusive club of two-time champions?

“Winning in 2018 opened my eyes up to what was possible. I’d kind of fallen out of love with the sport. Three weeks after I had that vivid dream of winning at Stawell, I moved to Melbourne. My family thought I was crazy and I just thought, I’m going to make this work. It spurred me on to make an Australian senior team and then make the Olympic team. 2018 was a career defining moment for me.

“To come back and win it twice is obviously what’s been on my mind since I first won in 2018, I’ve come back a few times and fallen short. I would love to be a two time winner and put my name up amongst that very exclusive club.”

 

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