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Welsh U13, U15, U20 & Junior Para Outdoor Championships 2025 - Round-up
16/06/2025 00:00, In Blog /
A record breaking Welsh U13, U15, U20 and Junior Para Track and Field Championships thrilled large crowds at the Swansea Bay Sports Park over the weekend.
A bumper entry of almost 600 athletes saw national records, championship bests and personal bests galore across all the age groups.
One of the many highlights of the weekend was Swansea Harrier Millie Gold’s outstanding performance on her home track in the 2,000m steeplechase.
In a spectacular display of solo front-running, Gold smashed the under-20 Welsh record, all comers record and championship best times, all of which were set by Rhianwedd Price (Brecon AC) in 2012.
The Welsh Athletics National Development Programme (NDP) athlete’s winning time of 6:48.53, surpassed Price’s best by almost nine-and-a-half seconds and also brought her the Welsh under-23 record. Fellow NDP athlete Lucy Bickerton (Yeovil Olympiads) was second in 7:20.74.
Asked what it meant to break the Welsh record, Gold, who last week earned the qualifying time for the European Under-20 Championships, said: “It shows why you should turn up to training.
“Yes, it’s hard, but pain is temporary, whereas dreams and accomplishments are forever. It makes me happy that my training is working.”
There were further championship best performances in the under-20 women’s sprints across the weekend.
On Saturday, Darcy Coslett (Llanelli AC) claimed gold in a high quality women’s 400m final clocking 54.62 – more than a second faster than the championship best set by Amanda Pritchard (Cardiff Athletics) back in 1996.
A delighted Coslett, who celebrated a new UK under-17 400m record at the UK Indoor Athletics Championships earlier this year, said afterwards: “I was really happy to take the win and do what I came here to do.”
On breaking the championship record, the 16-year-old NDP athlete added: “There are some amazing athletes who have come through the Welsh champs, so it meant a lot for me to get it.”
Second placed Millie Webb (Cardiff Athletics) also surpassed the previous championship best as she clocked a PB of 55.27. Lois Codling (Newport Harriers set a new PB of 57.33.
Webb was in sparkling form throughout the weekend as she claimed revenge over Coslett in the 200m final on Sunday – again in a championship best of 24.21.
The time surpassed the hand timed effort of Commonwealth Games star Sallyanne Short in 1986 and the electronically timed mark of 24.50 by Hannah Thomas (Wrexham AAC) in 2011. Coslett was second in 24.65 and Jessica Mantle (Cardiff Athletics) third in 25.06.
The previous day, NDP athlete Mantle had claimed the 100m title in 11.95 at the end of a week when she was named in the Great Britain Under-20 team for the Mannheim Gala in Germany later this month.
Another Welsh NDP sprinter named in the GB team – Lewis Stephens (Cardiff Athletics) - was the first Welsh finisher in the men’s Under 200m final where he clocked 21.55. The race was won by non-Welsh athlete Leon Francis in 21.51.
At the other end of the speed scale, Spencer Jones (Wrexham AC) was in outstanding form in the boys under-13 1K walk as he smashed both the championship best and national age group records.
Jones, who had earlier claimed gold in the under-13 javelin as well as silver in the shot put the previous day, crossed the line in a remarkable time of 4:44.48, surpassing the Welsh under-13 boys record and championship best of 6:16.35 set by Ioan Vale (Aberdare) in 2023.
There were further eye-catching under-13 boys performances in the 1500m time trials.
In a high-quality first heat, Rowan Carson (Bridgend Athletics) produced a devasting finish to win in a new championship best time and PB of 4:33.88, to beat Elliot Rowe’s (Deeside AAC) previous best 4:39.91.
The time was also narrowly outside the Welsh age group record. Second placed Zac Munn (Cardiff Athletics) was also inside the previous championship best with a PB of 4:38.46.
Carson also won the boys 800m time trial the previous day, recording a new PB of 2:12.77, which was just 0.07 outside the championship best time.
Talking of narrow margins, one of the closest races of the weekend came in the under-20 men’s 800m final where in-form NDP athlete Thomas Loynes (Neath Harriers) led for most of the two laps.
However, Louis Starr (Rugby and Northampton AC) fought back down the back straight and it took a lunge for the line from Loynes to hold on for the win in 1:55.12 – just 0.06 of a second ahead of Starr.
Loynes completed the middle distance double on Sunday when he won the 1500m 4:03.91. Holly Humphreys (Swansea Harriers) celebrated the Under-20 women’s middle distance double taking the titles in a PB of 2:13.80 in the 800 and 4.38.95 in the 1500m.
A number of NDP athletes enjoyed double golds over the weekend, including Lily Noble (Deeside AAC) who won the Under-20 women’s 400m hurdles on Saturday in a new PB of 60.16 and backed it up on Sunday by winning the 100m hurdles in 14.70.
In the field, Great Britain age group international Owen Garrett (Yate and District AC) won the under-20 shot put with a best of 14.58m, to claim the win ahead of Reef Page (Cardiff Met), who posted a season’s best 13.45m.
Garrett then went on to win the under-20 men’s discus with a new personal best of 51.04m to once again beat Page with a best of 44.01m.
Another Great Britain age group international, Iwan Thomas (Carmarthen Harriers), who like Garrett competed at last year’s European Under-18 Championships, produced an impressive performance to win the Under-20 men’s 2000m steeplechase in a season’s best 6:00.20 ahead of clubmate William Harries, who clocked 6:56.09.
Another Carmarthen Harrier, NDP thrower Storm Evans won the Under-20 discus with a best of 43.05m ahead of her sister and fellow Carmarthen Harrier Dolly, who threw 38.15m.
Storm also won the shot put with a best of 12.22m to beat fellow NDP athlete Matilda Quick (Swansea Harriers) with 11.04m. Quick herself won gold in the Under-20 women’s high jump with a best of 1.65m.
NDP under-17 thrower Evie Cooper (Cardiff Athletics) celebrated a new PB of 47.03m in the under-20 women’s hammer, while Tiana Odugbesan (Cardiff Archers) won the Under-20 women’s long jump with a best of 5.62m.
A number of high quality para events were contested over the weekend, including the wheelchair/frame running 100m which saw NDP athlete Owain Terrell (Newport Harriers) continue his excellent form this season with a win in 18.50, ahead of Imogen Ashwell-Rice (Newport Harriers) in 25.29.
Congratulations to the many other athletes who produced outstanding performances too numerous to mention in front of the large crowds who gathered on both days of competition.