TEEN sensation Talia Martin managed to hold off a much older field to salute in the 400-metre Intersport Sportz Biz restricted series final at Alexandra Oval.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 14-year-old is the niece of dual Stawell Gift finalist Tony Martin and is part of the successful Ballarat running stable, the 'Pod Squad'.
Off a handicap of 96 metres, Martin won her heat to move through to the final.
She was one of only three female runners in the final field, which also included Ararat's Ben Boatman, but the young athlete dug deep to claim her first sash of the Victorian Athletic League season.
"I just wanted to get a good start and try and hold it for as long as I could and I managed to do that the whole way," Martin said.
"I could kind of sense them behind me in the straight, but then my dad yelled out that they were 10 metres behind, so then I realised there was still a bit of a gap. I just kept focusing on bringing it home.
"I love this track and think this is one of the best gifts."
Martin's father Daniel said his daughter has already claimed some big races in her short running career.
"She has been running since she was 12 and has been training with Peter O'Dwyer for the last two years," he said.
"Tay won the under-17 Stawell Gift final last year, which was a pretty big thrill. This is the first win of the season for her, we didn't think it would be this early.
"She has represented the state before in her age group. She has always loved running and is just very committed to the sport."
