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Welsh athletes produce phenomenal performances at British Indoor Championships
10/02/2019 00:00, In Track & Field /
Wales' top track and field athletes produced some stunning performances to take the British Athletics Indoor Championships by storm over the weekend, with a total of six medals being won, and eleven new lifetime bests recorded.
Commonwealth Games representative Heather Lewis (Martin Bell; Pembrokeshire Harriers) took home gold in the Women's 5K Race Walk in a new lifetime best performance of 22:55, whilst Melissa Courtney (Rob Denmark; Poole) secured the required top 2 finish in the Women's 3,000m to take home the silver medal. Cardiff athlete Owen Smith (Matt Elias) produced personal best times in both the Semi-Final (46.85) and Final (46.37) of the Men's 400m to take home the silver medal and also secured a qualifying standard for the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow on 1st-3rd March.
Young Cardiff sprinter Jeremiah Azu (Helen James) produced an outstanding performance as he took bronze in the Men's 60m Final, whizzing to a new lifetime best and Welsh Junior Indoor Record of 6.66 seconds, whilst Welsh 200m Champion Melissa Roberts (Matt Elias; Birchfield) stormed to a bronze medal finish in the Women's 200m Final with a new lifetime best of 24.28 seconds. Adele Nicoll (Ryan Spencer-Jones; Birchfield) saved her best performance of the season for the big stage as she recorded a season's best of 15.58m to take home the bronze medal in the Women's Shot Put.
In addition to the medal tally, there were a number of other lifetime best performances, including in the Men's 400m where Joe Brier (Matt Elias; Swansea Harriers) finished 4th in 47.42 and the Women's Long Jump where Sarah Abrams (John Shepherd; Blackheath & Bromley) was 5th with 6.21m. Amy Odunaiya (Dave Norton; Wrexham AC)was also 4th in the Women's 200m Final, clocking a lifetime best in the process with 24.20 seconds in her Semi-Final, whilst Patrick Swan(Mo Pearson; Cornwall) and Sarah Omoregie (Gareth Lease; Cardiff Athletics) also finished 4th in the Men's and Women's Shot Put competitions respectively (with Season's Best throws of 16.25m and 14.27m).
Swansea Harrier Leon Greenwood (Dave Norton) also produced a lifetime best performance of 21.45 in the Men's 200 Semi-Finals, and finished 5th in the Final later on Sunday, whilst Hannah Brier (Glyn Hawkes; Swansea Harriers) finished 7th in a highly competitive Women's 60m Final. Welsh 400m Champion Laura Turley (Ian Broadhurst; West Cheshire) clocked a new lifetime best of 54.67 as she advanced to the semi-finals of the Women's 400m, and Cardiff's Sophie Hay (Matthew Wood) also clocked a new lifetime best in the Women's 60m Hurdles Heats with 8.69 seconds, and there were season's bests for duo Aled Davies (Ryan Spencer-Jones; Cardiff Athletics) in the Men's Shot Put (15.22m) and Sam Gordon (Matt Elias; Cardiff Athletics) in the Men's 60m (5th in Semi-Final with 6.77 seconds).
Beth Kidger (Joel Kidger; Brighton) notched back to back lifetime best in the Women's 1500m, clocking 4:26 in Saturday's heat and then 4:24 in Sunday's Final for a 9th placed finish, whilst Swansea Harrier Ben Paris (Joseph McDonnell) clocked a new lifetime best of 22.04 in the Men's 200m Heats. Women's 800m duo Rachel McClay (Bracknell) and Laura Maddox (Colin Bovell; Swansea Harriers) also secured season's best efforts of 2:07:70 and 2:09:87 in their respective heats of the Women's 800m.
Full results from all the Welsh athletes in action at the British Athletics Indoor Championships can be found here.