Hale and Rooke drawn in first semi

Jack Hale will square off against Stuart Rooke in the first of six Stawell Gift semi-finals on Easter Monday.

Jack Hale runs in semi-final three of the Stawell Gift

Young Tasmanian flyer Jack Hale has become Australia's fastest junior sprinter of all time. (AAP)

Teenage sprint sensation Jack Hale will take on the highly-fancied Stuart Rooke in a loaded opening Stawell Gift semi-final at Central Park on Easter Monday.

Rooke was an impressive round-one winner on Saturday off a mark of 8.5m, while Hale was victorious in his heat off 3.25m, with only two hundredths of a second separating the pair.

They will both face a stiff challenge from last year's Gift runner-up Luke Houlihan (4.75m).

Bookmakers listed Rooke at $4.50 following the release of the semi-final draw, with Hale at $6.

Tjimarri Sanderson-Milera claimed race favouritism at $4 after clocking the fastest heat time off a mark of 5.75m.

The Queenslander will be looking to make it back-to-back Gift final appearances and shapes as the man to beat in the last of the six semis.

Isaac Dunmall (6.75m) is now the equal second favourite at $4.50, having been drawn in a semi also including former Gift finalists Tim Eschebach and the evergreen Paul Tancredi.

London Olympics 4x100m relay finalist Andrew McCabe is the semi-final back-marker off 3m.

He will contest the second semi alongside fellow Queenslanders Ryan Bedford, Conor Loughnan and Jarrod Whittaker.

The winners of the six semi-finals advance to the Gift final later on Monday, with a $40,000 purse on offer to the eventual winner.

Australian 100m record holder Melissa Breen will run off scratch in the first semi of the women's Gift, where she will be spotting former winner Davina Strauss a 9.75m headstart.

Tierra Exum - the sister of Australian NBA star Dante Exum - will be expected to win heat five off 9.75m, having clocked the fastest heat time of 13.80 seconds.


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Source: AAP



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