Racing off the limit mark of 10.75m, Harvey could not be caught as he marked his seventh final in this season’s Victorian Athletics League action with a victory.

“I had been close in a couple of finals, but not won,” Harvey said shortly after being presented with the sash by City of Greater Bendigo mayor Lisa Ruffell.

He gained a lot of confidence from third place in the Ballarat Gift and from runs at Albury and Stonnington.

“This was my first time in the 120m final at Bendigo,” said Harvey, who had previously raced a 70m final on the Tom Flood Sports Centre in Bendigo.

The winner’s time in last night’s 120m showdown was 12.31 seconds as Paul Tancredi (8.25m) finished runner-up two years running.

Racing off the backmark of 6m, Matthew Hargreaves was third.

Victorious trainer Andrew Muhlhan, whose group is based at Albert Park, was presented with the Don Cameron Medal, which is struck by Sens Jewellers each year. 

“This was five years in the making,” said 27-year-old Harvey.

Other runners to qualify for the 120m dash for glory after a hectic round of heats and semis were Bros Kelly, Edward Ware and Josh Tiu.

Harvey’s focus is now on reaching an eighth final, mainly Stawell, which would cap an incredible season on the running circuit.