Olivia Attard crosses the line at the 2025 Powercor Stawell Gift, sealing back-to-back titles in the 1600m frontmarkers event. Photo: Luke Hemer/Stawell Gift.
Photo by
Luke Hemer
Seymour’s Kelfit stable enjoyed a brilliant 2024-25 season in the Victorian Athletic League, but there was one name that stood above the rest.
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Olivia Attard’s campaign on the turf was filled with highlight after highlight, racking up numerous wins and achievements in a stunning run over the summer months.
Becoming the first Kelfit athlete to claim two sashes at the same meet after winning both the 800m and 1600m open races at the Shepparton Gift was already a remarkable achievement; however, Attard’s season reached its pinnacle at the famed Stawell Gift, where she backed up her 2024 efforts to claim the 2025 1600m frontmarkers’ title.
The whirlwind season netted her the title of Female Distance Athlete of the Year at the VAL awards evening, but Attard admits she hasn’t really had time to reflect on her accomplishments.
“Not really — to this day it still just doesn't feel real,” she said.
“I still will want more, you know what I mean?
“When I go through photos and do all that sort of jazz, I'm like, oh, God, I remember that, but it doesn't feel real.
“It still feels like a little dream in my head that just reappears sometimes, but no, it’s good.”
It was the win at Stawell that cemented Attard’s historic season, with back-to-back victories almost unheard of at the VAL’s marquee meet.
The handicap system employed by the VAL, designed to level the playing field, forced Attard 35m backwards in 2025 compared to her 2024 victory; however, such was her form and improvement last season, she managed to run a time of 3:59.78, quicker than her 2024 win despite the extra distance.
Raising her arms in the air as she crossed the line nearly seven seconds clear of the rest of the field, Attard etched her name in the history books as a repeat winner, a feat seen only a handful of times at Central Park.
“Unbelievable, I was shocked to be honest,” she said of the emotion when crossing the line.
“I just kept going and going. I was like, just keep it, just keep it, just keep it.
“And then I crossed the line, I was like, ‘what the hell just happened?’
“It was just unreal, it's an unreal feeling to actually do that twice. I don't know if anyone else has really done twice, I haven't really looked in the books, but it felt pretty cool.”
Attard notched wins in the 800m and 1600m events at the Shepparton Gift last season, becoming the first Kelfit athlete to win two sashes at the same meet.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Attard was mobbed by Kelfit teammates after crossing the line at Stawell, a 20-strong group invading the track to celebrate with their teammate as if it were their own win.
That familial feel adds to the infectious feeling around the squad that continues to attract members from far and wide, an increasingly rare achievement within athletics, and one that will be on show at this weekend’s Seymour Club Gift.
“It’s pretty cool to see this many people here, considering for years it's just been maybe seven of us doing our own little random things,” Attard said.
“It’s good to see it grow and thrive, and it's becoming, like a big, massive community instead of a big family.
“It is still a family, but it's a bigger family, like, more of a community, and it's good to see it in Seymour.
“It's good for the community and … it gets people involved in sports and athletics, because it's pretty much a dying sport sometimes.
“Once you turn 18, you sort of lose that (involvement), and I think that's where a lot of country places get lost, as soon as one person goes, you know, another person goes, but this is just building up, which is really good to see.”
The Seymour Club Gift this weekend will see the local squad field record numbers on what Attard describes as the best track in the VAL, with the reigning Female Distance Athlete of the Year also hoping to round out her year in fine fashion.
Having made the final of both the 800m and 1600m events in Lancefield to start the season, Attard has faced a few setbacks, but will look to close out the year with a strong performance at Kings Park.
“This season I’m aiming to get to nationals, but on track,” she said.
“At the moment, I'm just going through a bit of health (setbacks), I suppose, so I’m just slowly getting back into it, back into training.
“I haven't stopped, but yeah, Seymour will be the last one for the year, and I then want to concentrate on more training and my nutrition and see what I can bring next year, I guess, and just roll with it like I always have.”
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