Newyddion
Novuna UK Athletics Championships Birmingham - Round-Up
22/06/2026 00:00, I Mewn Blog /
National records, titles, medals and personal bests were amongst the many highlights of the weekend as Welsh athletes enjoyed a successful Novuna UK Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
Freya Jones (Harrow AC) bounced back brilliantly from missing out on Commonwealth Games place by breaking her own Welsh javelin record and claiming gold.
The 2020 champion stepped onto the top step of the podium once again with an excellent series of throws rounded off by a superb 58.12m – a huge improvement on her previous best of 56.84m.
Jones set off on a delighted run across the Alexander Stadium track on seeing the mark flash up on the scoreboard and said afterwards:
“I am over the moon and feeling really grateful for the team around me and the people that support me.
“I just really wanted to see 60 metres plus on the board and I do think it is there, but I can’t complain with a two-metre personal best.”
The 32-year-old is now targeting the qualifying standard for the European Athletics Championships, which will be held in the same stadium in August.
“I’m inching closer to the European standard. Today has given me a really good opportunity to push myself up the ranking for Europeans. I have five weeks to go and in those five weeks I am hoping to put myself in the best position to be selected for those Championships.
“From today, going into my future competitions I intend to keep it simple and keep having fun. This is a playground, and we get to express ourselves. If you take it too seriously, it can cause you to not perform at your best. So, I make sure I am grateful for every day to be able to do what I love.”
Another Welsh athlete enjoying doing what she loves was race walker Bethan Davies (Cardiff Athletics) who continued her title-winning return to competition since giving birth to her daughter.
Commonwealth Games bronze medallist and serial UK champion Davies, was an impressive winner of the women’s 5,000m race, crossing the line in 23:43.39 – almost two minutes ahead of her nearest rival.
Davies said:
“I haven’t had a great lead in to this event, it’s been a bit hectic with full-time work, a toddler, and house renovations, so I am extremely pleased with how things went.
“I just went for it and I felt really comfortable. I am really pleased to drop under 24 minutes. It’s a post-partum 5k PB, so they all count.
“This why I really wanted to come back and compete after having a baby. I love athletics, I work in athletics as well, so it is still a pleasure to get an invite and be a champion again.”
The men’s race saw Guy Thomas (Tonbridge AC) claim silver – despite having to spend a period in race walking’s “sin bin” on the very last lap of the race.
Thomas clocked 22.50.39 as he finished behind gold medal winner Cameron Corbishley (Medway and Maidstone AC).
The second Welsh record of the weekend came during a flurry of Welsh medals on Sunday afternoon.
The previous day, Charlotte Henrich (Invicta East Kent AC) had celebrated her inclusion in the Welsh Commonwealth Games athletics team by beating Olympic 800m Keely Hodgkinson in the 400m heats.
In the final, the 19-year-old scorched to a new Welsh record of 50.58 – eclipsing Michelle Scutt’s 44-year-old record of 50.63.
The time was enough to earn Henrich the bronze medal behind Amber Anning (Brighton and Hove AC), who claimed gold in a championship best time of 50.16. Fellow Great Britain international Louisa Stoney (Belgrave Harriers) finished sixth in 52.69.
One of the stories of the weekend was the medal-winning return of Jake Heyward (Cardiff Athletics) who was making his first appearance at these championships since 2022 following serious injury problems.
During his absence from the sport, the European Championships 1500m silver medallist and Welsh record holder had undergone two Achillies surgeries.
But the 27-year-old surged to a brilliant silver medal, in 3:38.97 narrowly being edged out of a fairytale gold by Arlo Ludewick (Herne Hill Harriers).
Fellow Commonwealth Games Team Wales member Issy Boffey (Enfield and Haringey) also earned a fine silver medal in the women’s 800m final, clocking 1:59.56 behind World Championships silver medallist Georgia Hunter-Bell (Belgrave Harriers) who won in a new championship record. Bronwen Reed (Highgate Harriers) ran a personal best of 2:06.16 in the heats.
Another athlete heading for Glasgow, Tom Walley (Wrexham AC), celebrated his call up by climbing to a silver medal in the men’s pole vault with a height of 5.30m. Mark Mellor (Cardiff Athletics) was sixth with a best of 4.90m.
In the women’s triple jump final, Reese Robinson (Harrow AC) emulated her silver medal at the Novuna UK Indoor Championships in February.
Robinson grew into the competition after technical delays had held-up the early stages and jumped out to a best of 13.19m behind Georgina Forde-Wells (Woodford Green and Essex Ladies).
Transition Programme athlete Hannah Lake (Cardiff Athletics) continued her run of picking up UK Championship medals as she claimed silver in the women’s high jump behind Gabrielle Garber (Trafford AC) with a best of 1.78m. Lili Church (Carmarthen Harriers) recorded an excellent sixth place in what was a tight final with a new personal best of 1.78m.
In the men’s shot put, Pat Swan (Cornwall AC) added to his ever growing collection of UK Champs honours with a bronze medal thanks to a best of 17.67m.
Olympic sprint relay medallist and Commonwealth Games pick Jeremiah Azu (Cardiff Athletics) came agonisingly close to a podium place in the men’s 100m final on Saturday evening.
The Welsh record holder ran a season’s best 10.03 – the same as Louie Hinchcliffe (City of Sheffield and Dearne AC), but Hincliffe was awarded the bronze medal as the timings went down to thousandths of a second to split the athletes.
Elsewhere in the men’s 100m, Sam Gordon (Cardiff Athletics) went out in the semis with 10.46, alongside clubmates Dewi Hammond in 10.53 and Alex Azu (Cardiff Athletics) in 10.56. Exiting in the heats were Eniola Adedotun (Swansea Harriers) 10.57, Transition Programme sprinter Lewis Stephens (Cardiff Athletics) 10.71, Freddie Steele (Swansea Harriers) 10.71, Owain Lloyd-Hughes (Swansea Harriers) 10.76 and Eli Onyewu (Swansea Harriers) 10.98.
The women’s 100m saw National Development Programme athlete Jessica Mantle (Cardiff Athletics) reach the semi-finals where she bowed out in 11.80. In the heats, Isabella Wigley (Cardiff Athletics) ran 11.99, while Millie Webb (Cardiff Athletics) enjoyed a season’s best 12.03.
In the men’s 200m, both the Azu brothers reached the final, however Jeremiah didn’t take his place on the blocks despite winning his heat in 20.80. Alex finished sixth in the high quality final in 21.04.
Welsh 200m record holder Hannah Brier (Swansea Harriers) narrowly missed out on a place in the women’s final by just one hundredth of a second as she ran 23.42.
The men’s discus final boasted three Welshmen – two of which are Glasgow-bound: legendary F42 para thrower Aled Davies (Cardiff Athletics) and F44 man Harrison Walsh (Swansea Harriers). Walsh threw a best of 53.82m, while Davies’ best effort was 46.98m. Fellow para star and Transition Programme thrower Michael Jenkins (Swansea Harriers), who was contesting the overall competition, finished just off the podium in fourth place with 54.92m.
Likewise, the women’s competition boasted two Team Wales para athletes – Cardiff Athletics clubmates Bree Cronin and Funmi Oduwaiye. Cronin threw a season’s best 36.36m, while fellow F44 thrower Oduwaiye posted 36.21.
Young NDP athlete Lucy Harris (Swansea Harriers) finished eighth in the overall competition with 41.39m. The previous day, Oduwaiye threw 11.84m in the shot put final.
Another Welsh para athlete who will be representing Wales in Scotland, Olivia Breen (City of Portsmouth) competed in the women’s long jump final. Breen, who memorably won 100m gold at the Birmingham Commonwealths, leapt out to 5.00m. The men’s long jump saw T37 para athlete Barney Corrall (Charnwood AC) jump 5.32m.
Wales’ two outstanding young NDP T54 wheelchair racers took part in the men’s 1500m race, where Toby Richardson (Yate and District) just missed out on a bronze medal as he finished fourth, but he did have the consolation of a new PB of 3:43.43. Owain Terrell (Newport Harriers) was sixth in 4:02.30.
In the para men’s 100m ambulant races, Transition Programme T11 sprinter James Ledger (Swansea Harriers) finished fourth in a time of 11.67 alongside guide Makoye Kampengele.
Transition Programme runner Ava Lloyd (Wigan and District AC), who will contest the mile in Glasgow, finished fifth in an exciting women’s 1500m final in 4:10.21. Poppy Elton (Worcester AC) departed in the heats in 4:23.51.
Two Welshmen contested the men’s high jump final. Sam Davies (Swansea Harriers) finished sixth in a new PB of 2.15m, while Seb Clatworthy (Chelmsford AC) was eighth in a season’s best 2.11m.
A super-fast women’s steeplechase final on Saturday evening saw promising young NDP and Great Britain international Millie Gold (Swansea Harriers) finish sixth in 10:34.69. The men’s final, which like the women’s race was won in a championship record, saw Oliver James Bournemouth AC) earn a season’s best 9:15.83 in 13th place.
There was also a 13th place finish in the 5,000m final for NDP athlete Dafydd Jones, but it wasn’t an unlucky number for the Swansea Harrier as he posted a new PB of 13:44.09.
Clubmate and Olympian Joe Brier finished eighth in Sunday’s men’s 400m final in 46.12, while Performance Programme athlete Evan Blackman (Corby AC) ran 46.72 in the previous day’s heats.
In the women’s 400m hurdles final, NDP sprinter Sophie Lisk (Cardiff Archers) also placed eighth in 1:01.04. The men’s 400m hurdles saw another young NDP talent Osian Parry (Cardiff Archers) run a new PB of 52.97 in the heats.
NDP hammer thrower Amelia Fettis (Newport Harriers) placed 10th in the women’s final where she chalked up a best throw of 57.33m
Transition Programme man Tom Wilcock (Northampton AC) earned a place in the men’s 110m hurdles final in 14.42, but was unable to take up his spot on the start line. The women’s 100m hurdles heats saw Katie Chapman (Cardiff Athletics) run 13.75 and Grace Morgan (Cardiff Archers) post a season’s best 14.11.
The hugely competitive men’s 800m heats saw Team Wales Commonwealth Games selection and Performance Programme runner Justin Davies (Team Bath) narrowly miss out on a place in the final as he finished fourth in his heat in 1:48.04, while NDP Jack Organ (Brecon AC) was sixth in his heat in 1:50.26.
The women’s 400m heats, saw Tess McHugh (Sale Harriers Manchester) run 54.00, Sian Harry (Belgrave Harriers) 54.55 and Ffion Roberts (Menai Track and Field) 55.47.