Layla Watson was content after her Stawell Gift final run, knowing she had left it all on the track.
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With a beaming smile spread across her face as her peer Bella Pasquali - a teenager from Wangaratta - went on to win the $40,000 prize, Watson said she couldn't have asked for much more from the meet.
"I'm so happy," Watson said of her fifth-placed finish and 13.726 time. "I did all the preparation, trusted the process and made the final."
The 17-year-old praised Pasquali for her win, with the two racing head-to-head on numerous occasions on the Victorian Athletic League circuit.
"I'm so proud of her and so happy for her," Watson said. "We've always raced against each other, especially in the fours (400) and 120s. I was happy she could get the win."
Watson felt strong in her heat on Saturday, running a 13.73 seconds off a 8.75m handicap, but wasn't confident she had done enough in her semi final until it was confirmed she was final-bound. Watson thanked her coaches Rob Duynhoven and Wayne Perry and her DPS teammates for their support.
Duynhoven said Watson's Stawell Gift berth was "unbelievable" to watch.
"She left it all on the park, she gave it a really good go," he said. "She ran a beautiful race. It was really exciting."
The coach praised Watson for her stellar season.
"The amount of work she's put in, for the rewards she's had as well, it's very well justified," he said.
Belinda Watson - Layla's mother - said the family was "super proud" of the teen.
"She puts in so much work and she's very dedicated so she deserved to be in the final," she said.
Belinda praised her daughter's work ethic and dedication in getting to the level she has.
"After the last couple seasons where she had her injuries, she's done an enormous amount of work to overcome those," she said. "She doesn't go to parties and she's missed out on that."
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