Stubbs, who has next year’s Rio Games firmly in his sights, will compete at the Latrobe, Devonport and Burnie carnivals.

Coming off consecutive wins in the Macksville and Queanbeyan Gifts in the past fortnight, Stubbs considers himself in top form, ready to run against Hale.

‘‘I have run at Burnie before but I’m better prepared now than I was back then and I’m excited to be coming back and can’t wait to race alongside Jack,’’ he said.

‘‘I feel like I will have a good chance of making the final again and hope that I’m running well enough to win it.’’

Stubbs competed at Burnie in 2011 but finished last in the final behind South Australian Robbie James after suffering a hamstring niggle.

‘‘I will most likely be running off my tightest ever handicap but that just makes me really excited to prove myself,’’ he said.

Stubbs ran off 3m in the $12,000 Queanbeyan Gift in a slick 12.14 and now faces the prospect of coming off an even tighter mark at Burnie.

Tasmanian Athletic League handicapper Steve Robinson faces a difficult task to decide whether Stubbs or Hale is the backmarker for the Burnie Gift and the other big sprint events.

Stubbs, 25, has close Tasmanian connections as his father Paul grew up in Penguin and he would dearly love to win the Burnie Gift.

‘‘At the moment I feel really good. If I can stay in one piece and keep working hard, then Rio is definitely on the cards,’’ Stubbs said.

Stubbs shot to national prominence after taking out the 2009 Stawell Gift in 11.87 seconds, which remains the fastest run at the Easter carnival in the past 20 years.

‘‘Winning the Stawell gift was an incredible experience and will forever be one of my most cherished performances. What it did for me was show that I do have the talent and if I just work hard and stay dedicated that anything is possible,’’ he said.

The inclusion of Stubbs adds to the growing list of elite athletes confirmed for the carnivals, with further major announcements due in the next week.

Athletic entries for the Tasmanian Christmas carnivals close on November 30.