VICTORIAN titleholder Luke Stevens will contest the country's richest 400m - the Bendigo Bank Black Opal - at this weekend's Bendigo International Madison athletics-cycling carnival.
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Stevens will race off scratch in the sixth of seven heats to be run on Saturday night at the Tom Flood Sports Centre.
The Tarneit sprinter was in hot form as he won the 400m at last weekend's Victorian Open at Albert Park's Lakeside Stadium.
Stevens clocked a great time of 46.48 seconds.
The Black Opal field includes Sam Baird, bronze medallist in the 400m at the Victorian Open.
A past winner of the Black Opal, Baird will race off scratch in heat five at this meet.
Bendigo is well represented in the Opal.
Junortoun's Lonain Burnett, 20m in heat one; Bendigo's Dane Heiden, 35m in heat two; Maiden Gully's Cody Williamson, 28m in heat three; and Strathfieldsaye's Mitchell Hocking, 13m in heat seven, will all chase glory on a track they know well.
A great weekend of athletics action includes the City of Greater Bendigo Thousand (120m).
Ballarat's Joel Bee will race off 0.75m in the seventh of 12 heats on Saturday afternoon.
Bee has won a Maryborough Gift.
Sam Baird will race off 6.5m in the second of the 120m heats.
The long-running Gift has drawn many competitors from New South Wales.
Those from across the Murray River aiming for glory in Bendigo include Tom Newman, Tom Paavola, Mitchell Tysoe, Hayden Wyllie, Brady Lehmann, Marty Sinclair, Carrick Gill-Vallance, Leigh Miller and David Flood.
Six heats of the Flack Advisory Women's Vase 120m will be run at Saturday's program from 12.05pm.
Bendigo's Sophie Taylor is the backmarker off 4.25m in heat three.
Angela Byrt from Marshall is off 1.5m in the sixth heat.
Sprinters to watch in the women's 120m classic include Ballarat North's Holly Dobbyn, 3m; Mount Clear's Tara Domaschez, 3.75; and Kilsyth's Katie Moore, 4.75.
