Newyddion

10/03/2025 00:00, I Mewn Blog /

Jeremiah Azu (Cardiff Athletics) and Melissa Courtney-Bryant (Poole AC) claimed gold and silver medals at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in the Netherlands.

Azu equalled the Welsh record as he became European 60m champion with a brilliant run in the final on Saturday night, while Courtney-Bryant was pipped on the line as she tried to claim 3,000m gold the following afternoon.

The third Welsh athlete on the Great Britain team in Apeldoorn, Justin Davies (Team Bath) put in a creditable performance as he made the semi-finals of the men’s 800m.

But it was Azu who dominated the headlines as he won GB’s only gold medal of the championships with a spectacular win over 60m to become the first Brit to win the title since Richard Kilty in 2017.

Earlier in the day, Azu had come from behind to win his heat in 6.58 before cruising to victory in his semi-final with a new personal best of 6.52.

But Wales’ fastest man over 100m was saving his best until last. In the final, two hours later, he blasted out of the blocks and was up on the rest of the field after the first 20 metres.

Azu never looked back as he took the title in a blistering 6.49 – equalling the Welsh 60m record set by Colin Jackson when he won the same title back in 1994 in Paris where he also won the 60m hurdles gold.

The victory completed an eventful few months for Azu which have seen him return to Cardiff after leaving Marco Airale’s coaching group in Italy. The 23-year-old is now back under the guidance of former coach Helen James in Cardiff.

The past fortnight has also seen him win the UK indoor 60m title in Birmingham and become a father for the first time.

After the race, Azu said:

I’m speechless. It’s been a crazy couple of months and to top it off by becoming European Champion, I’m so grateful to God. I started my family so I decided to make a move to go home and it’s paid off.

 

There was a bunch of decisions that went into that. One of them is my father’s a preacher and he has a ministry and I really told myself that I can help that ministry grow.

 

While I was in the warm up down there a scripture came to me and it says ‘seek ye first the kingdom of God and all other things shall be given to you’, so I put God first, I put my family first.

 

These are just the bonuses that come with it. Life is such a flash and it’s so great to have these good moments and I’m just grateful to be standing here calling myself the European Champion.”

Azu said the win had confirmed the decision to move back to Wales had been the correct one.

I know I’m in the right place and this has just confirmed to me that I’ve made the right decisions that I’ve got a good team behind me with my coach Helen, my physio Adam, all these guys constantly helping me be great.

 

This is just the start of the journey for us a team and we’re going to take everything, we’re coming to take it all. I’m excited to be on this journey now.

Azu added:

This morning I felt a bit flat before the semi-final then I saw my family and we prayed. After I left them, I was thinking, where would I be without these guys? They lifted me up.

 

Once I saw them it just shut down any doubt, I walked into that warm-up area and felt amazing just by seeing them. They mean to world to me. I am such a family man, I wouldn’t be here without them.

 

It’s a huge moment becoming a father, becoming European Champion. He is going to be able to look back on this and see what his dad was doing which is an amazing feeling.

 

If I wasn’t motivated enough already, it is another reason to go hard, another reason to get up in the morning. All these little things add up; I won by 300ths of a second and that is the little differences he makes.

 

We are just scratching the surface, this is only the beginning. We have so much more to go.

Jeremiah Azu smiling with his 60m gold medal - Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images for European Athletics

On Saturday morning, Courtney-Bryant ran a textbook heat to book her place in Sunday’s 3,000m final.

The Poole AC athlete had posted a world lead in Boston in February but hadn’t run since due to a calf niggle. The injury meant she had a medical exemption for the UK Indoor Athletics Championships, which doubled as the European trials.

Any worries about her fitness were allayed as the two-time bronze medallist at these championships put in an assured performance to win her heat in 9:08.19.

After the race, Courtney-Bryant said of her injury problems:

I’m really good now, I had a little calf issue after Boston, it was very minor but that’s what sat me out of British Champs which I was really upset by, I really wanted to compete there.

 

I love competing in Birmingham with the home crowd and the chance to get a British title, so I was sad not to do that, but the focus was I want to win a medal here and be in the best possible shape and I feel I am in that position now.

Sunday’s final started slowly and the early stages were marred by some pushing and a nasty fall which saw Dutch athlete Maureen Koster receiving medical treatment at the trackside.

As the pace lifted, Courtney-Bryant was heavily involved at the front end of the field. With 100m to go, the Commonwealth Games 1500m medallist kicked for the line and looked to have gold within her grasp.

However, she wasn’t able to hold onto her lead coming down the home straight and was pipped on the line by Ireland’s Sarah Healey who took the title in 8:52.86 ahead of Courtney-Bryant’s 8:52.92.

Afterwards, the multiple Welsh record holder said:

I have to be happy it’s an upgrade from my two bronzes, but I’m still searching for that gold, so I’ll be back to try and get that gold again.

 

I’m a little bit gutted, especially to lose on the line. I really fought all the way to that line and I think I almost fell as I crossed.

 

But it was so pushy out there, I don’t know how many people fell but I know one definitely fell. I recognised the voice, it was my old training partner, the home favourite here. I knew it was her that fell and that kind of made everyone pushy.

 

I think I was getting pushed in the back right up until 200 to go, so I think we were all on edge a little bit.

 

I felt really good still, I had to run wide a lot of the race because you couldn’t go on the inside.

 

I went really hard down the back straight but I felt like I had another gear, I came off the bend and I thought I had it.

 

The line comes fast so I was just like ‘keep driving for the line’ thinking I could get there and then my legs just went beneath me and I was like ‘oh no I’m almost falling across the line’.

 

Sarah ran really well, she’s been running well all season. It was a fantastic run and I’m really happy for her as well.

Melissa Courtney-Bryant charging across the line taking 2nd place in the women's 300m. Photo Credit European Athletics

Justin Davies was the first Welsh athlete in action at the velodrome in Apeldoorn when he contested the 800m heats on Friday morning.

The 22-year-old was in an extremely strong final heat featuring the likes of Irish European silver medallist Mark English.

Davies was happy to tuck in at the back of the field in the early stages, staying clear of some of the bumping and barging going on ahead of him.

With 300m to go, the 22-year-old started to try and move up through the field but was still in fifth place as the race entered the home straight on the final lap.

But a decisive kick saw him take 3^rd place on the line as he clocked 1:46.56.

The Welsh outdoor 800m champion didn’t realise he had qualified until BBC TV’s Sarah Mulkerrins told him in his post-race interview.

A beaming Davies said: “I made it through? I was just happy it went well. Fantastic! I totally wasn’t expecting to make it through to the semi, but great!”

Asked how important was to be competing at the championships, Davies said:

Huge, I’ve always wanted to represent Great Britain on this stage and it’s kind of surreal to be at this level, so I’m just enjoying every moment, learning, trying to make the most of it.

The following day, Davies lined up for the semi-final where he needed a top three finish to qualify for Sunday’s final.

Similar to his heat the previous day, Davies opted to sit at the back in the early stages to stay out of any potential trouble.

However, unlike the heat, Davies didn’t quite have the legs to move up through the field in the same way and eventually crossed the line sixth in 1:47.17.

Asked how he felt about his performance, Davies said:

Satisfied. I gave it absolutely everything, I didn’t hold back at all. At the end of the day, I wasn’t quite at the same level as those guys.

 

And that is ok, that means there are plenty more opportunities and lots of training to be done. I can’t complain, I am really happy where I have got to.

 

It gives me a lot of confidence. Earning that sense of belonging and realising that yes, I do belong on this stage. Hopefully many more years to come and I can keep coming back here. Keep chipping away and reaching those top levels. It is good to be here and make a mark. Hopefully, I can go upwards from here.

 

I just gave it all from the start. To be honest, my legs were absolutely cooked from yesterday, running my second fastest indoor time and doing it again today is something I haven’t done before but I’m really proud.

 

I left it all out there on the track, I gave it absolutely everything. That was my main goal, give absolutely everything and I’ve done that. I’m happy.

 

We knew given how scrappy that first race was – in the heats – that it’s so physical. You have to stay out of danger, so the plan was to stay at the back and keep in touch with that front group.

 

The problem being I couldn’t stay with that front group because my legs were done. I tried my hardest to do it and that’s what counts.

Asked about the overall experience of competing at the championships, Davies, who is targeting the under-23 outdoor championships this summer said:

It’s so inspiring and I think for me competing at this level is something I’ve never done before, actually understanding how high the ceiling is in this kind of discipline.

 

I am nowhere near it. That’s inspiring because it means there are so many possibilities, there is so much to achieve. It’s so exciting.

Justin Davies competing in the men's 800m. 

Overall, Great Britain won seven medals, finishing eighth in the medal table.

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