News
The Three Welshmen are off (to) Torun!
23/02/2021 00:00, In Blog /
We haven't had a lot to celebrate about the past few months in Wales, it's been tough for our athletes all around the UK with the lack of competitions. However, last weekend British Athletics held the European Indoor Selection Trials where we had a number of athletes competing.
With the latest announcement from British Athletics, we are delighted to celebrate and congratulate three of our athletes who have been selected to represent Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland between 4-7 March.
- Joe Brier - 400m & 4x400m
- Owen Smith - 4x400m
- Piers Copland - 1500m
After running a new PB of 46.81 inside the qualifying time Joe Brier booked his place for Torun in his first senior individual 400m. Following Joe in making the 4x400m team, Owen Smith used his experience of indoor running to secure his place in the team.
Hot off his Welsh record of 3:38.55 Piers Copland ran a tactical race to win and also book his seat on the plane to Torun.
"I’m pleased to have made the team, it wouldn’t have been possible with the help of welsh athletics and the use of the indoor track in Cardiff. I'm looking forward to pulling on the GB vest and seeing what I can do!"
"I'm very happy to be excited for the European Championships next week. It almost came as a surprise to me as I came into the trails running 47.1 with the standard being 46.90 - I then ran 47.1 in my heat and thought am I ever going to break the 47-second barrier to get the standard but I went into the final with an open mind and tried a different tactic in going out harder which worked out for me! But now it's time to perform, I'm really looking forward to going into these championships!"
"I’m really happy to have made my second European indoor championship. With everything that’s gone over the past twelve months with covid, I can’t wait to get back out there on the international stage. I’m really looking forward to getting out there with the boys and pushing for a medal in the relay. We have a strong team going into the competition and I hope I can do my part to help the team!"
"I am very proud of both Joe & Owen for making the European Indoor Championships. They are both carrying on a proud tradition of 400m running in Wales. It’s been a tough 12 months during the pandemic with many challenges. But we were lucky enough to start getting some facility access and were able to prepare for some indoor competitions.
This is a great opportunity for Joe as this is his first individual senior GB vest and the Euro Indoors are a great championship to gain valuable experience at this senior level. For Owen, it's great to see him back in the GB team after some injury setbacks is a testament to the hard work he always puts in."
Matt Elias - National Talent Development Coordinator - Sprints & Hurdles
Well done to all athletes in this remarkable achievement. Pob Lwc.
The team list can be found here.