LAUNCESTON'S Brodie Robinson took out the Burnie men's 400-metre handicap final for his first major carnival series win yesterday.
The Les Nankervis-trained runner put in a strong run from the back mark of 23 metres to run down Wynyard's Jorden Englund (31m) and Victorian James Collier (24m) in the final sprint to the line in a time of 46.87 seconds.
"I'm ecstatic - it's my first win at the carnivals after a few second places and thirds for the second year running.
"I'm really happy and it's especially significant for me to make Les proud because it is his first sash here at Burnie."
Robinson is a 20-year-old university exercise science student.
New South Wales runner Suz Sinclair backed up from her Latrobe Gift victory to win the women's 400m.
Sinclair was frontmarker running from 35m, and held off all challenges to win comfortably with Victorian Stephanie Jinks second (35m) and Burnie's Sandy Loring third (34m).
"I've never won a 400 - even when I was a kid of eight I was a 400 runner and hated them and I still don't like them," she said.
"To win my first 400 sash, and in Tassie, is really special because I'm not a local but everyone has been so supportive and so nice and I am just so thrilled to come away with a win."
The 29-year-old, who has been New South Wales sprinter of the year for the past two seasons, said she would love to come back for next year's carnival series.
Burnie's Kade Seaman won the men's 1600m Tasmanian Mile for the second year in a row with a comfortable victory over Victorian AFL boundary umpire Michael Marantelli and Hobart 17-year-old Ben Covington.
The 22-year-old Seaman is coached by Mick McKenna and provided his coach with his sixth Burnie Mile victory.
Seaman started off 135m, with Marantelli, who was runner-up last year in the event, off 100m and Covington 110m.
He chased down frontmarker Darren Brown (245m) in the final 300m and went on to win by about 30m in a time of 4:30.04.
