Newyddion
Weekend Round-Up (15-16 February 2025)
17/02/2025 00:00, I Mewn Blog /
BUCS ATHLETICS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – SHEFFIELD, FEBRUARY 14-16
Welsh Athletics Performance Programme multi-eventer Abi Pawlett (Trafford/Loughborough University) broke the 33-year-old Welsh 60m hurdles record of Kay Morley-Brown (Cardiff Athletics) to take gold in Sheffield.
Pawlett won her heat in a season’s best of 8.23 before blowing away the opposition in the final with a brilliant time of 8.11, eclipsing her previous best of 8.18. The time also smashed the championship record and set a new UK lead for 2025.
Fellow Welsh performance pathway athlete Grace Morgan (Cardiff Archers/Cardiff University), finished just outside the medals in fourth but enjoyed the consolation of a new PB in 8.48.
In the men’s shot put Dafydd Pawlett (Cardiff Athletics/Cardiff Met) produced a season’s best 14.71 to claim a bronze medal.
William Hawker (Swansea University/Cardiff Met) narrowly missed out on a medal in the men’s 60m final as he finished fourth in 6.85.
The ambulant men 60m final saw National Development Programme T35 sprinter Will Bishop (Newport Harriers/Cardiff Met) clock a season’s best 9.03 to finish third. The following day he claimed silver medal in the ambulant men’s long jump with another season’s best of 4.18m.
Sam Davies (Swansea Harriers/Loughborough University) finished fourth in the men’s high jump with a best height of 2.05m.
There was also a fourth place for Lili Church (Carmarthen Harriers/Cardiff Met), who jumped a season’s best of 1.66m in the women’s high jump final, while Jessica Lee (Carmarthen Harriers/Loughborough University) was fifth with 1.63m.
There was a fifth place for Amy Hughes (Cardiff Archers/Birmingham University) in the women’s long jump final with a best of 5.85m.
Cardiff Met won the women’s 4x200m with a new best of 1:40.59, while Cardiff University finished fifth with a new best of 1:41.74. Meanwhile, Cardiff Met finished third in the men’s 4x200m in a new best of 1:27.96.
DAVID HEMERY VALENTINE INVITATIONAL – BOSTON, FEBRUARY 14
Transition Programme athlete David Locke (Cardiff Athletics) finished fifth in a time of 1:47.47 representing Penn State in Boston on Friday.
KEELY KLASSIC – BIRMINGHAM, FEBRUARY 15
A number of Welsh athletes warmed up for next weekend’s UK Athletics Indoor Championships being held at the same venue by competing in the high-profile Keely Klassic on Saturday.
And it proved a fruitful trip as two Welsh Indoor records were shattered on the track.
Transition Programme middle distance man Justin Davies (Team Bath) smashed the Welsh indoor 800m record of 1:46.33 set in 2012 by Joe Thomas (Cardiff AC). Davies’ winning time of 1:45.78 slashed more than a second off his indoor PB.
Davies took the lead going into the back straight on the final lap and never looked back as he raced away from the field. The winning time also gave him the qualifying standard for the European Indoor Athletics Championships.
The win saw the under-23 athlete being crowned by Olympic 800m gold medallist Keely Hodgkinson as he sat on a golden throne in the middle of the arena.
A top two place for Davies at this weekend’s UK Championships will see him on the plane to the Netherlands.
Performance programme athlete Piers Copeland (Pontypridd Roadents) set a new Welsh 1,000m record of 2:19.73 finishing sixth in a high quality race which saw winner Neil Gourley set a new British record. Copeland’s time surpassed Tom Marshall’s 2:21.35 set in 2018.
Not content with claiming a Welsh 60m hurdles record, gold and a championship best at the BUCS Championships in Sheffield the day before, Abi Pawlett (Trafford) continued our outstanding form in Birmingham.
Pawlett pushed Poland’s Marika Majewska all the way to the line to clock her second fastest ever time of 8.15. Majewska recorded exactly the same time, but was given the nod on the photo finish.
Transition programme athlete Hannah Lake (Cardiff Athletics) also enjoyed a second place finish in the women’s high jump where she recorded a best height of 1.75m.
National Development Programme athlete Lucas Salvage (Newport Harriers) finished fifth in the men’s Under-17 800m in 1:57.35, while fellow Newport Harrier Lois Codling was sixth in the women’s under-17 800m in 2:12.43.
MEETING INDOOR DE LYON – WORLD ATHLETICS INDOOR SILVER – FEBRUARY 15
Cari Hughes (Cardiff Athletics) clocked a new season’s best of 8:49.43 for the 3,000m in Lyon – just outside the qualifying standard for the European Indoor Athletics Championships.
WINTER TRAIL GAEAF – COED Y BRENNIN, FEBRUARY 15
Launched in 2024 the new seven-mile route received rave reviews for it's challenging terrain, taking in singletracks and footpaths in the beauty of Coed y Brenin Forest Park in the Eryri National Park.
The men’s race was won by Tomos Black (Mynyddwyr de Cymru) in 45:02 ahead of Tom Roberts (Meirionnydd Running Club) in 45:59 and Aled Breeze (Maldwyn Harriers) in 46:21.
The women’s race was won by Tinka Vinks (Eryri Harriers) in 53:04. Elliw Haf Roberts (Eryri Harriers) was second in 53:55 with Alice Walton third in 56:36.
eDREAMS MITJA MARATO BARCELONA – FEBRUARY 16
There were some extremely strong performances by Welsh athletes in a super-fast half marathon which saw Jacob Kiplimo smash the world record in Barcelona on Sunday.
Jenny Nesbitt (Pontypridd Roadents) recorded a new personal best of 71:27, which also gives her the Great Britain standard for April’s European Road Running Championships in Belgium.
Other notable Welsh performances came from Beth Kidger (Brighton Phoenix) 72:42; Dan Nash (Pontypridd Roadents) 64:14 and Dylan Nazareth (Les Croupiers) 65:10.
WEST WALES INDOOR ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS (DAY TWO TRACK AND SHOT) – SWANSEA, FEBRUARY 15
ALMOST 250 athletes took part in day two of the West Wales championships at the Swansea University Indoor Athletics Track.
Among the stand out performers was Welsh Athletics National Development Programme sprinter Darcy Coslett (Llanelli AAC) who ran two personal bests in the Under-17 women 60m.
Coslett, who has been in record breaking form over the longer sprints, ran 7.82 to win her heat and then improved it to 7.79 as she won the final ahead of Gwenllian Jones (Swansea Harriers) in 8.33 and Eleri Brown (Neath Harriers) also 8.33.
Another sprinter to impress was Katriel Udoh (Swansea Harriers) who won the under-15 girls 60m in a new PB of 8.15 ahead of clubmate Rutendo Chasweka in a PB of 8.28 and Pauline De Vera (Llanelli AAC) in 8.52.
There was a close finish in the men’s under-20 60m, where all three medallists celebrated PBs. Jenson Morris (Swansea Harriers) just edged the win in 7.05, ahead of Joseph Franklin (Llanelli AAC) in 7.06 and Tygan Davies (Carmarthen Harriers) in 7.33.
LLANELLI HALF MARATHON AND 10K – FEBRUARY 16
Natasha Wilson (Nee Cockram) and Michael Ward took the honours at the Llanelli Half Marathon on Sunday.
Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Championships marathoner Wilson (Micky Morris Racing Team) was the first woman home and the ninth athlete overall to cross the finish line.
The Welsh Athletics performance pathway athlete, who is a former Welsh marathon record holder, crossed the line in 1:16.19, ahead of Lauren Cooper (Parc Bryn Bach) who was 11th overall in 1:16.35. Gabriella Booth (Porthcawl Runners) was third in 1:22.37.
Ward (Cardiff Athletics) was the first athlete to finish overall as he broke the tape in 1:06.47. Second place went to Matthew Nelson (Western Tempo) 1:06.58, with Lewis Munro (Islwyn RC) in 1:13.46.
The women’s 10K was won by Olivia Tsim (Pontypridd Roadents AC, who was also the second athlete overall, as she crossed the line in 34:27. Second was young National Development Programme athlete Millie Gold (Swansea Harriers) in 36:52 with Donna Morris (Builth Wells and District Running Club) third in 37:55.
Callum Campion (Cardiff Athletics) took the honours in the men’s race, crossing the line in 33:03, ahead of Ollie George (Sarn Helen) in 34:39 and Craig Burrows (Bridgend AC) in 34:42.
VILLAGE BAKERY WREXHAM HALF MARATHON – FEBRUARY 16
The men’s race was won by Omar Ahmed (Birchfield Harriers) in 1:04.35, ahead of Jack Martin (Hallamshire Harriers Sheffield) in 1:04.54 and two-time World Athletics Championships marathoner Josh Griffiths (Swansea Harriers) 1:05.35.
Winner of the women’s race was Welsh international Anna Bracegirdle (Salford Harriers and AC) in 1:13.53, who finished comfortably ahead of Emma Taylor (City of Stoke) in 1:17.00 and Luisa Candioli (Cheshire Dragons) in 1:18.10.
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