BRENDAN LINES
SOUTH Sudan-born runner Deng Bulabek won the 20th anniversary running of the prestigious Nippy’s Gift held at Loxton Oval on Saturday night.
Starting off a handicap mark of 11.25m, the 24-year-old fought off a late lunge from runner-up Cooper Williams, taking the 120m dash in a time of 12.819 seconds.
Since arriving in Adelaide as a 10-year-old refugee, Bulabek has established himself as hot property among local athletics, dubbed ‘Australia’s answer to Usain Bolt’.
Like Bolt, Bulabek has dabbled in the round-ball game, playing for Seaford Soccer Club, in Adelaide.
However, Bulabek said winning his first major athletics carnival rates as his “number one” achievement.
“This is my first gift win,” he said. “But I’m hoping to have more wins in the future.”
Bulabek was spurred on by competing against his training partner and retiring 2013 Gift winner Clay Watkins on the night.
“I was hungry for it and I didn’t want to let Clay down,” he said.
The future for Bulabek is focused on making a potential run at Olympic selection post-Tokyo 2021.
“I’m going to be running more races in amateurs… for Olympic qualifying,” he said.
“It’s a lot further down the track, but I just want to see my form and where I’m at.”
Run at 9.35pm under the Loxton Oval lights, the final also featured 2019 Gift winner Jacob Aston.
In the women’s 120m, Bay-Sheffield finalist Mikayla Round – starting from the 8m handicap mark – won her first Nippy’s Gift in a time of 14.07, a personal best.
Round said the win was a highlight of her career.
“I made the Bay-Sheffield a couple of times but this probably tops it for me.” she said.
For Round, the night was a double celebration, also being named Athlete of the Meet.
Another highlight of the night was the football clubs’ relay race, with this event a battle of the codes, featuring the Riverland Football League and Riverland Soccer Association.
Loxton United soccer club took line honours, ahead of Berri Football Club, while Loxton Football Club placed third.
In the netballers’ relay, Berri Netball Club blitzed the competition winning by over half a lap from Loxton North, and Loxton in third.
Nippy’s Gift committee president Paul Lewis said the Nippy’s Gift final capped off a “great day” marking the event’s 20th anniversary.
“How lucky are we to have an event like this that starts off with the Mardi Gras in the morning?” he said.
“It’s just a great day for the town, it makes money, and it’s a great social event.
“The kids get involved with Little Athletics events and we see some really good athletes too.”
Meanwhile the 20th Nippy’s Gift also saw six people made life members by the organising committee.
Adelaide-based racecaller Terry McAuliffe, whose commentary was again a feature of the 2021 event, was among the list, along with locals Peter Angel, Des Schliebs, Brian and Ann Loxton, and Denis Hann.