Long Gully athlete Michael Preece has another title to add to his name.
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Preece, who was off 105m, ran to victory in the 1600m Open at the 2020 Maryborough Highland Gathering.
He paced himself to perfection over the mile-long race, picking up his speed on the back straight of the final lap to put himself into first place and seal victory.
"All of my recent training has been focused on my mile races and I knew what I had to do today so that I would be up there with a chance to win," Preece said.
"It always comes down to who is competing and who is running well on the day.
"It's always a great feeling to come back here, especially when you're running well."
Preece finished with a time of 4:14.773, approximately two seconds faster than second placed Joshua Sait (180m), followed by Stefan Catalano (345m) in third.
The win on Wednesday is another to Preece's list of victories at the New Year's Day event held at Princes Park.
He won the 800m Open in 2018 in an extremely tight finish and the 1600m back in 2013.
"This is one of my favourite events of the year to come back to, it's a great country meet with a country feel," Preece said.
Click here to read more on the men's Gift and women's 120m Sprint winners and see pictures from throughout the day.
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