Morgan Gaffney, Abdoulie Asim win 2019 Burnie Gifts

Gaffney, who had a handicap of 1.5 metres, won a thrilling race from Jessica Fitzpatrick (nine metres), with Gaffney finishing the 120m journey in 14.51 and Fitzpatrick 14.54. Hilal Durmaz (1.25 metres) rounded out the podium.

It was the full stop on a wonderful year for Gaffney, who in December became the fastest Tasmanian female sprinter in history when she ran a time of 11.57 seconds, the fifth fastest time by an Australian female sprinter in 2019.

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"I can't remember the race, so I'll have to go to my coach and ask him for a break down as I didn't even know I had won until (commentator) Grant Penny had called it, so I think my face on the line might have been a bit of confusion,'' said Gaffney post-race when reflecting on her gift win.

"(I was) just trying to put together my race part by part, and there wasn't any talk about winning or anything like that, it was just put my best race together and see what happens, and that happened, so it is a great feeling."

The Devonport-based sprinter, the only woman to win four Burnie Gifts, was also able to salute in what was the first year of equal prize money for the gift, collecting $9000 for her efforts.

"We are not in it for the money, we are in it for the love of it, but it is nice to get that pay packet as it pays for travel and things like that, so it really helps,'' she said.

Looking ahead, she said she would be taking it "race by race" in the chase for more higher honours, but for now it is about celebrating this latest achievement, saying it "hadn't sunk in yet" she now had four Burnie Gift titles to her name.

"I said to my coach when I came out 'it still feels like I haven't won one" as coming to Burnie is really the pinnacle of these carnival series (and) I get just as nervous as I did before I had won any."

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"This is one of the best days of my life."

That's the way Abdoulie Asim described his Burnie Gift win on Tuesday, ensuring his first time competing in Tasmania ended in a memorable fashion.

Asim, who was third in the 200m at the Australian championships this year, was part of the John Quinn stable of runners for the series, and after running off 3.5 metres, won only just from Matt Burleigh (9.75), finishing in 12.69 to Burleigh's 12.71, with Ismail Kamara (2.5) third in 12.72.

"This means a lot to me, because I wasn't supposed to come here because I had an injury (at Latrobe), so this is a dream come true,'' Asim said post-race.

"I love it, as it is a nice country and I'd love to be here again and again and again and again."

Asim, who is originally from Gambia, paid credit to coach Quinn, the former Tasmanian Institute of Sport athletics head coach.

"He is just like my dad, and it is because of him I won this and because of him I am here today,'' he said.

He described it as a "hard race", but said, with a smile on his face "at the end now it is easy".

He was second in his heat (13.26) before winning his semi-final in a time of 12.99.

The hoped for battle between Jack Hale and Alex Hartmann did not eventuate after each runner failed to get past the semi-final stage.

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