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Welsh U13, U15, U20 & Para Indoor Championships 2025 - Preview

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29/01/2025 00:00, In Blog /

More than 500 of the nation’s best young athletes have entered this weekend’s Welsh Under-13, Under-15, Under-20 and Para Indoor Championships.

They will include some of the highest ranked athletes in their age groups across the entire United Kingdom, who are part of the Welsh Athletics Transition Programme and National Development Programme.

Among the stand-out event groups are the sprints and jumps, but there is talent across the board including the throws, endurance and race-walking.

The under-20 short sprints look particularly strong in both the men’s and women’s categories for the championships which will be held across Saturday and Sunday at the National Indoor Athletics Centre in Cardiff.

Included in the entries for the women’s under-20 60m are Aliyah Afolabi (Cardiff Archers) who has the fastest 60m time by an under-17 female in the UK so far this year, thanks to a personal best of 7.49.

A fraction behind her is Nell Desir (Cardiff Archers), who at the time of writing, has yet to compete over 60m since Christmas, but has a PB of 7.50.

Jessica Mantle (Cardiff Athletics) who claimed 60m gold at the recent senior Welsh Indoor Championships, has this season set a new PB of 7.53 and is the second ranked under-20 athlete in the UK so far this year.

There are a number of other athletes, who have best times under eight seconds in the start lists, including fellow NDP athlete Ava-Lexi Placide (Cardiff Athletics).

Mantle and Afolabi also line-up in Sunday’s women’s under-20 200m. Amongst their challengers will be Welsh age group 300m record holder Darcy Coslett (Llanelli AAC), who won the under-17 Welsh 300m title two weeks ago. Coslett also contests the 400m.

The men’s under-20 60m features a clutch of rising Welsh sprinters who have PBs under seven seconds.

They are led by Lewis Stephens (Cardiff Athletics) who won silver in the senior men’s 60m two weeks ago, who has a PB of 6.81.

Also in the mix will be Transition Programme speedster Joseph Berry (Newport Harriers), who has clocked a best of 6.96, Aron Tugwell (Cardiff Archers) with a PB of 6.88 and under-17 athlete Finnlay Roynon (Cwmbran Harriers), who dipped under seven seconds for the first time last weekend.

Commonwealth Youth Games competitors Will Bishop (T35) (Cardiff Met University) and Tomi Roberts-Jones (T37) (Newport Harriers) will also be taking to the 60m blocks.

Tugwell and Berry will also be among the favourites in the men’s under-20 200m on Sunday, where they will be joined by the likes of under-17 athlete Max Evans (Maldwyn Harriers), who has a PB of 21.43 – less than a tenth of a second slower than Berry.

Siblings Iolo and Menna Grant (both Cardiff Archers) will be among the favourites in the under-20 men’s and women’s 60m hurdles where Lilly Noble (Deeside AAC) will also be in the running.

At the other end of the speed scale, the Under-20 3km race walk will feature reigning senior British 5km champion Gracie Griffiths (Pembrokeshire Harriers), who claimed the title in Manchester last summer.

Meanwhile, Thomas Loynes (Neath Harriers), who won the senior men’s 800m two weeks ago will contest the same distance here along with the 1500m.

The women’s under-20 long jump could be one of the outstanding events of the weekend. It features two of Welsh Athletics Transition programme athletes – Jessica Lee (Carmarthen Harriers) and Eden Robinson (Cardiff Archers).

Just one centimetre separates the two on paper, with Welsh Schools champion Lee just shading it with a PB of 6:06m.

Robinson, who finished fifth in the heptathlon at last year’s World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Peru, will also be competing in the high jump and the shot put.

There are a number of other outstanding young Welsh multi-eventers who will have busy schedules across the two days.

They include Luca Phillips (Cardiff Archers) who will contest the triple jump, long jump, 60m and 60m hurdles and his brother Cobie, also of Cardiff Archers, will be involved in the pole vault, triple jump, long jump and 60m. Meanwhile, Matilda Quick (Swansea Harriers) will tackle the high jump, long jump 60m hurdles and shot put.

Also lining up in the shot put will be Owen Garrett (Yate) who last year represented Great Britain in the discus at the European Under-18 Athletics Championships in Slovakia.

The shot put events will also feature a seated shot competition which will be contested by F56 athlete Ellie Mai Bowen (Cardiff Archers) and F34 throwers Kieran Jones (DSW Para Athletics) and Jac Sheehan (Carmarthen Harriers).

The Under-15 and Under-13 age groups will also feature a number of up and coming athletes and intriguing match-ups.

The under-15 boys 60m boasts a number of athletes who have run under eight seconds. They include Jacob Barnes (Cardiff Athletics) who ran a new PB of 7.61 at the Welsh Athletics Junior Open Day 2 earlier this month. Likewise, Gethin Hughes (Cardiff Athletics) ran a PB of 7.69 at the same event.

Meanwhile, the girls under-15 60m has a number of competitors separated by just a few hundredths of a second, including Abbi Beadle (Cardiff Athletics), Olympia Murray (Cardiff Athletics), Bethany Staddon (Bracknell) and Eva Anwyl (Sale Harriers Manchester).

Among those to watch in the Under-13 age groups will be Olivia Thomas (Cardiff Archers) who is one of the top five sprinters over 60m and 60m hurdles in the UK this year. She will also be contesting the 200m where she is ranked in the top 10.

Likewise, Jayden Jones (Rhymney Valley), who competes in the boys 200m, long jump and 60m hurdles, is amongst the top ranking under-13 athletes in the UK for all three events.

Meanwhile, in the under-13 boys middle distance events Rowan Carson (Bridgend Athletics) has the second fastest time in the UK this year over 800m and Tomi Jones (Swansea Harriers) is the fifth fastest over 1500. Both are entered in the 800m and 1500m this weekend.

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