Quadzilla excited to be part of Gift

Commonwealth Games sprinter Trae Williams will display his incredible speed at next month’s WesTrac Bunbury Geographe Gift.

The man known as “Quadzilla” will be one of a number of top Australian athletes to compete for $78,000 at the event held on April 28-29.

Williams, 20, became a sprinter to watch after he won bronze at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, becoming the first Australian to win a 100m sprint medal at a global meet since Hec Hogan at the 1956 Olympics.

He then competed at the 2016 IAAF world juniors, progressing to the 200m semi-final and helping the 4x100m relay to a fourth place.

Last year was Williams’ first as a senior and he showed plenty of potential, winning the national 100m crown and returning to the Bahamas for the World Relays where Australia placed fourth, allowing it to qualify for the IAAF World Championships.

Williams said he had never ran in a gift before and was looking forward to the experience.

“I want to come down there, see what it is like and if I get the win, then that is great,” he said.

Williams said the preparation for next month’s Commonwealth Games was going well.

“Lucky this is after the games, so I should still be in pretty good shape,” he said.

Williams said he hoped to help athletics become a more popular sport in the country.

“To get it out there and recognised is great,” he said.

Williams said he would train normally ahead of the gift.

“Running on grass is a lot different, there is going to be more force applied in the run,” he said.

“The 100m may only go for about 10 seconds, but it is definitely one of the most exciting sports in athletics.”

Williams said the nickname Quadzilla was helping him and the sport get some deserved recognition.