Newyddion
Weekend Round-Up (21 - 22 March)
23/03/2026 00:00, I Mewn Blog /
WORLD ATHLETICS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – TORUN, POLAND, MARCH 19-22
Five Welsh athletes represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Poland over the weekend.
First up on Friday morning was Jeremiah Azu (Cardiff Athletics) who went into the championships as the defending 60m champion and cruised through Friday morning’s first round, winning in 6.55 – his fastest ever time in a heat.
The semi-final proved to be more challenging as the field was whittled down to the cream of global sprinting.
However, Azu responded by lowering his own Welsh record to 6.45 finishing just behind rising USA star Jordan Anthony.
Azu’s time put him just 0.03 behind Dwain Chambers’ British record and into second place on the all-time rankings.
The final, which took place less than an hour after the semi-final on Friday evening, featured the likes of former champion Trayvon Bromell of the USA and Jamica’s Olympic 100m silver medallist Kishane Thompson, as well as Anthony.
Azu produced a trademark fast start which put him right in the mix for the majority of a high quality and incredibly closely fought race.
But the final stages saw him edged into fourth place, just 0.01 of a second away from the podium as he clocked 6.46.
Anthony claimed the title in a world lead of 6.41, ahead of Thompson in a new PB of 6.45 and Bromell, who clocked the same time.
A disappointed Azu said afterwards:
It’s a tough one to take, but I am proud that I came and tried to defend my title.
I fell short and it hurts a lot, but that’s track and field. You live and you learn and you get better. I am definitely at the start of my peak; I’ve got four or five more years of crazy good times.
It’s good to be on the worlds start line again and I’m excited for the future, but ultimately right now I’m disappointed. For me the final is never about the times I run, it’s about a medal.
While Azu was in Poland trying to defend his world title, Louisa Stoney (Belgrave Harriers) was at the very beginning of her championship career making her debut in a Great Britain vest on Friday morning in the individual 400m.
Stoney was placed at the back of her heat until the final bend when she made her move for a qualifying place.
Unfortunately Spanish athlete Blanca Hervas, who won the heat, moved out in front of Stoney, whose momentum was slowed as a result. The Welsh athlete finished fourth in 52.24 with just 0.09 of a second separating all four athletes.
Stoney said afterwards:
I really enjoyed the experience and I’m super proud to be out there representing Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The goal was to execute a little better than I did, but I’m still going to enjoy every moment and be proud of where I am. Hopefully there are many more experiences to come.
Looking ahead to the summer, where one of her goals will be to represent Wales at the Commonwealth Games, Stoney said:
I’m going into outdoors really confident, I think even coming here has really upped that confidence. I’m super excited to go into outdoors and go into the other big competitions that are waiting.
A busy Friday morning for the Welsh athletes also saw Issy Boffey competing in the 800m heats.
Boffey, who had run a world lead and Welsh record in Boston earlier in the year, went through to the semi-finals as the fastest non-automatic qualifier thanks to a time of 2:00.17.
In the following day’s semi-final, the Enfield and Haringey athlete sat at the back for the first two laps before moving up the field to cover the leading two athletes.
Unfortunately, Boffey found herself boxed in going into the final lap and finished fourth in 2:01.12, which wasn’t enough to progress to the final.
Reflecting on the result, Boffey said:
That was a race I could have made the final in. From what it looked like to us, that was a heat I was capable of making the top two in, but I didn’t; ultimately, my body is tired.
I have had an incredible season indoors so far, but again, I am running these times I have never run before. I can definitely feel it. Which is a shame, but a learning curve. All I can do from it now is just learn from it and move on.
The championships were brought to a close in spectacular style on Sunday evening with Great Britain winning three gold medals through Keely Hodgkinson (800m), Mollie Caudery (pole vault) and Georgia Hunter-Bell (1500m), adding to the men’s 1500m gold won by Josh Kerr earlier in the champs.
The final event of the championships saw Stoney lining in the 4x400m final, which featured another Welsh athlete and fellow team GB rookie Tess McHugh (Sale Harriers).
Earlier in the day Stoney and McHugh had featured in the heats as Great Britain qualified in second place with a time of 3:29.21.
McHugh, who ran the fastest split in the race at 51.54, said after the heat:
I really enjoyed the race, running with the girls is amazing. First time wearing the GB and NI vest. We needed top two finish and I felt strong; I did my best to hold my position. I am proud of what we have achieved this morning.
Both athletes retained their places for the final as Great Britain pulled something of a surprise by drafting in short sprint expert Dina Asher-Smith and Keely Hodgkinson – less than an hour after her 800m gold medal.
Having run an excellent anchor leg in the heat, McHugh was asked to undertake the very different role of running the first leg in the final.
McHugh handed on to Stoney, who in turn passed on to Asher-Smith before Hodgkinson brought the baton home in a creditable fifth place in 3:28.09 as the USA claimed gold.
The fifth Welsh member of the Great Britain team, Abi Pawlett (Trafford AC) was forced to withdraw from the pentathlon competition due to an Achillies issue.
With the Commonwealth Games and European Athletics Championships coming up this summer, a statement by UK Athletics said the decision had been made
after careful consideration to prioritise the preparation for the outdoor season.
SCHOOLS INTERNATIONAL ATHLETICS BOARD (SIAB) CROSS COUNTRY INTERNATIONAL – BANGOR, MARCH 21
A number of home athletes put in fine performances as Wales hosted the prestigious SIAB Cross Country International for the first time in four years.
The picturesque Faenol Estate, near Bangor, was the venue as 181 athletes representing Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England contested six races across a range of age groups.
From a team perspective, the home nation claimed two medals, while there were also a number of excellent individual placings.
The 3,000m junior boys race saw Wales win an excellent silver medal behind England, who claimed a total of five gold medals across the day’s events.
The highest placed Welsh finisher was Lewis Durston, who finished fifth in a time of 12:34. The other Welsh scorers were Jacob Moss 8th in 12:45, Zac Munn 15th in 13:09 and Oliver Cobbold 17th in 13:12, Osian Phillips 24th in 13:28 and Farley Pritchard 25th in 13:34.
There was another podium finish for Wales in the 4,000m middle girls race – claiming the bronze medal behind champions England and runners-up Ireland.
Leading the Welsh team home was Martha Bown, who crossed the line in 13:59 for a 14th place finish. The other scoring finishers were Nansi Griffiths 16th in 14:04, Heather Watson 18th in 14:13 and Bryony Boyce 19th in 14:17, Isabelle Lawley 29th in 15:04 and Sali Owen 30th in 15:08.
An excellent day’s competition got underway with two primary school races. The primary girls race was won by Madeleine Fata (Colwyn Bay) in 6:49, while the boys race was won by Elliott Steele-Jones (Menai Track and Field).
Overall SIAB points totals:
1st England 133; 2nd Ireland 218; 3rd Scotland 413; 4th Wales 489.
ANGLO CELTIC PLATE – LIMERICK, MARCH 21
Welsh Athletics sent an experienced team to the 31st Anglo Celtic Plate 100km in Ireland on Saturday.
Henry Drake (Amman Valley Harriers), who was the highest placed Welsh athlete last year, once again led the team home.
Drake was the 14th male runner to finish in 7:50.42, followed home by Nathan Flear (3M Road Runners), who was 16th male in 8:01.51 and Ieuan Griffiths (Clwb Run Wales), the 18th male in 8:31.43.
Unfortunately, there was a DNF for Dan Rothwell (Swansea Harriers), who is a previous bronze medallist at this event.
PULFORD 10K – CHESHIRE, MARCH 22
Welsh distance runners Eden O’Dea (Deeside AAC) and Donna Morris (Builth and District) continued their excellent form as they took part in the popular Pulford 10K in Cheshire.
The route is known as one of the fastest in the UK resulting in the Pulford loop being known as “The Magic Triangle”.
O’Dea finished, who won the Welsh Short Trail Championships last weekend was third in 34:01, while Morris was fifth clocking a time of 35:24.
In the men’s race, Connor Rogers (Wrexham AC) was the leading Welsh athlete as he finished 11th in 30:16.
RED WARRIOR MULTI-TERRAIN RACES – MARGAM PARK, MARCH 22
The sixth annual Red Warrior Multi Terrain races were held across 5K, 10K and 20K at the scenic Margam Park near Port Talbot on Sunday.
The overall 5k was won by Paul Bird (Colosseum Gym Cardiff) in 25:13 with female runner Indianna Jones (Rhondda Athletic Club) second in 25:37. Carl Baker was third in 26:31, while another female runner Sophia Monaghan was fourth in 28:27.
The men’s 10K was won by Jason Dawney in 59:39 ahead of Abs Rees in 59:47 and Peter Roche in 1:02:12.
The first female home was Libuse Arnost in 1:18.01, ahead of Lowri Davies in 1:18.59 and Bethany Kruger in 1:21.06.
Triumphant in the men’s 20K was Wayne Andrews (Hedge End Running Club), who completed the course in 1:47.12. Simon Dymond (Tri Hard Harriers) was second in 1:56.44 with Nat Bickley third in 1:57.57.
The first female to finish was Kathryn Cuthbertson, who was also fifth overall with a time of 2:02.11. Megan Colbeck was the next female runner in 6th place overall in 2:06.37, while Sian Stephens (Neath Harriers) was 10th overall in 2:17.00.
MERTHYR HALF MARATHON – MARCH 22
Starting and finishing at Merthyr College, the undulating course takes competitors around the town and its surrounding countryside taking in the Taff and Trevithick trails.
The men’s race was won by Gwion Schiavone, who stopped the clock in 1:16.55, followed home by Martyn Rowling in 1:17.10 and Jamie Parry in 1:17.40.
Winner of the women’s race was Kirstie O’Connell-James, who registered 1:30.00. Next home was Niki Morgan in 1:32.36 with Menai Richards third in 1:36.27.
WELSHPOOL 10K
Eric Apperley took the honours on the streets of Welshpool as he broke the tape in a winning time of 35:10. Johan Aufdenkamp (Meirionydd Running Club) was second in 35:31 with Dylan Walton third in 35:46.
Winner of the women’s race was Kate Pugh, who completed the course in 42:05. Laura Pascoe was second in 42:16, while Ellie Hughes was third in 43:29.
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Photo Credit - @Sammellishphoto (Instagram) & British Atheltics