Rising Stars of Athletics Stride Ahead

And Welsh Athletics will today be toasting the success of the Welsh track and field contingent, who returned home from the Under 23 and Under 20 English Championships in Bedford clutching nine medals.

Cardiff’s Brett Morse continued to cement his dominance in the discus, winning gold in the under-20 age-group. Morse continued to show fine form by taking the championship title with second placed Norwegian lying two metres behind the Welshman’s 55.30m throw.

He is now eagerly anticipating the selection announcement for the World Junior Championships which take place in Poland next month.

The discus star is a graduate of the Welsh Athletics Talent Development Academy (WTDA). Designed to nurture potential world-beaters of the future, and heralded by top sprinter Tim Benjamin, its aim is to help catapult talented athletes with developmental potential to the top.

And the Academy apprentices certainly proved that they are worthy of support in Bedford.

Pontypridd’s Joe Thomas – who made his first career appearance at the English Outdoor Championships – impressed over the 800m, showing a turn of pace to move away from the field to claim top honours. The 20-year-old middle distance talent is currently being cultivated by the WTDA.

Battling against the elements in the heats and final, Caryl Granville, the Carmarthen hurdler, was able to improve on last year’s bronze medal. She scooped second place over the 400m hurdles in the under-20 category to add silver to her growing medal collection.

Swansea race-walker Antonio Cirillo also showed promise. The A-levels student at Neath Port Talbot College also picked up silver in the under-20 5k race walk.

Chief Executive of Welsh Athletics Matt Newman explains:

“The weekend’s success is a clear indicator that the athletes who have been selected to the WTDA are benefiting from the support it provides. It is pivotal that our talented athletes of the future receive top coaching and sports science.

“The progression of these athletes is testament to their commitment and talent but also of the new coaching team that has been put in place. I look forward to seeing them advance onto the UK Athletics World Class Performance Plan.”

There was further success for Welsh athletes among the non-WTDA members. Dewi Griffiths added to the medal haul with silver in 5000m. Selected for the World Junior Cross Country Championships earlier this year, Griffiths led the field for the majority of the race only to be pushed into second place on the home straight by Rotherham-based runner Abdirisak Ahmed.

At 16, this was Griffiths’ first career appearance at the English Championships. The Carmarthen-based athlete is under the coaching wing of Kevin Evans who assisted Sydney Olympian Andres Jones to the top.

The rapidly-improving Bruce Tasker of Carmarthen clinched bronze in the 200m. Despite gale force winds a very tough field; he took the bronze medal in 21.67s.

In the field events, Wales also excelled. Tesni Ward took bronze in the javelin. Again competing in difficult conditions, the Sheffield-based athlete demonstrated consistent throwing.

In the long-jump, North Walian Sally Peake – who now lives in Cardiff - set two back-to-back personal bests to secure third place with a jump of 5.87m in the under-23 category.

Meanwhile, Ryan Spencer-Jones of Swansea Harrier is certainly reaping the rewards of working with a former Olympian. Coached by Nigel Bevan, who competed at the Barcelona Games in 1992, Spencer-Jones struck a new personal best of 15.45m to seal silver in the under-23 men’s shot putt. 

For more information, please contact Jane Williams at Welsh Athletics on 029 2033 8274

For full results, please visit www.welshathletics.org