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SIAB Track & Field International 2024 - Round-Up
22/07/2024 00:00, I Mewn Blog / Track & Field / School News /
Golds medals galore, national records and a championship best performance – Welsh athletes certainly enjoyed hosting the annual Schools International Athletics Board (SIAB) International in Carmarthen on Saturday.
The Welsh team returned a haul of 20 medals – surpassing the return from last year’s event in Grangemouth – against strong national teams from England, Scotland and Ireland.
In total, the hosts celebrated 12 gold medals in wet conditions, but the excellent facilities and organisation at the west Wales venue allowed all of the 260-plus athletes taking part to compete to an extremely high standard.
It was a particularly good day for Welsh sprinters with Aliyah Afolabli (St Illtyds Catholic High School) and Max Evans (Llanidloes High School) leading the way with three gold medals each.
But perhaps the individual Welsh performance of the day came from the outstanding young Welsh middle distance runner Libby Hale (Bishopston).
Not only did the Amman Nedd Tawe athlete take gold in the girls 1500m, she collected an armful of records along the way.
In addition to claiming the 40-year-old SIAB championship record of 4:20.00 set by England’s Bridget Smith in 1984, Hale also set new Welsh under-17 and under-20 records as she took victory in 4:17.46.
The time surpassed the previous national records set by world triathlon star Non Stanford (4:23.55) back in 2004 and Cari Hughes (4:17.51) set in 2018.
Hale was made to work hard for her victory in the early part of the race, but then took control in the latter stages to glide clear of the field with second-placed Olivia Steer, of England, crossing the line in 4:23.52.
The Swansea Harrier now holds all the 1500 age group records from under-13 through to under-20.
Not to be outdone, Hale’s fellow rising middle distance star Millie Gold (St Illtyds Catholic High School) rounded off the day’s individual track action with a comprehensive win and another Welsh record in the girls 1500m steeplechase.
The appropriately named Gold looked in dominant form as she distanced herself from the rest of the field and looked particularly strong coming down the home straight to win in 4:58.50.
The Welsh under-20 cross country champion’s winning time, which slashed more than seven seconds off her personal best, surpassed Lucy Davies’ Welsh under-17 record of 4:58.99 set in 2016. Ireland’s Sophie Maher was second in 5:00.15.
Earlier in the day, the Welsh team feasted on a clutch of gold medals in a short space of time around lunchtime.
On the track, there was a spectacular 100m sprint double with Aliyah Afolabi and Max Evans winning the respective girls and boys gold medals.
Taking on a number of older athletes with faster PB times, rising under-15 star Afolabli produced a brilliant run to take gold in rain-soaked conditions.
Ranked the fastest under-15 sprinter in the UK this year, Afolabi crossed the line in 12.00, ahead of England under-17 athlete Isabelle Walkey, who clocked 12.04.
Minutes later, Afolabi’s Welsh team-mate Evans stormed to a convincing victory in the boys 100m.
Evans clocked a rapid 10.85 considering the conditions, finishing well clear of England’s Bright Otiora, who finished second in 11.04.
At the same time Afolabi and Evans were winning on the track, outstanding multi-eventer Luca Phillips (Cowbridge Comprehensive School) was on his way to victory in the long jump.
Phillips, who won gold in the triple jump and long jump at this event last year, was in golden form once again this year, taking the win with a season’s best jump of 7.12m, to finish comfortably ahead of England’s Daniel Emegbor, who recorded 6.69m.
Shortly afterwards there was another gold on the track for Wales as Darcy Coslett (Bryngwyn Comprehensive) cruised to victory in the girls 300m.
The Dyfed athlete, who had set a new Welsh Under-17 400m record at the Welsh Senior Championships earlier in the summer, finished well ahead of the field in 38.49 with England’s Ella Bibby second in 39.34.
The Welsh gold kept flowing thanks to Afolabi and Evans, who were still hungry for success after their 100m victories.
Afolabi claimed her second win of the day as she won gold in the 200m, stopping the clock in 24.43, ahead of England’s Emily Cadman in 24.57.
Not to be outdone, Evans followed up his 100m win by claiming the boys 200m gold in a new PB of 21.43. England’s Sean Appiah was second in 21.54.
Soon after there was almost another double Welsh gold as Luca Phillips attempted to follow up his win in the long jump when he lined up in the 100m hurdles.
However, he was just edged out by England’s Lewis Shaw, who won with a PB of 12.93 ahead of Phillips who clocked 13.02.
Welsh double gold success wasn’t confined to the track. In the field, there was more success with Olivia Scrimshaw (Ysgol Brynhyfryd) claiming the top spot in the girls long jump as she recorded a brilliant new personal best of 5.96 in challenging conditions. Thalia-Jade Mason, of England, was second with 5.83.
Scrimshaw then went on to win the girls triple jump, pausing in between jumps to pick up her long jump gold medal, with a distance of 12.12m ahead of England’s Qi-Chi Ukpai.
Menna Grant (Ysgol Glantaf), who has been enjoying an excellent season over the hurdles, was just edged out in the girls 80m hurdles as she earned a silver medal in a new PB of 11.30 behind Scotland’s Holly Whittaker.
However, the sprint success wasn’t over for the Welsh team as there were two more spectacular golds to come in the relays.
Connor Dean (Ysgol Glan Clwyd), Luca Phillips and Kaleem Islam (Stanwell School) had put Wales in a good position coming into the final leg of the boys 4x100m and who better to take up the baton than Max Evans to take them to a brilliant victory in 42.03 ahead of the English quartet in 42.34.
Having seen her fellow sprint double winner Evans claim a third gold, Aliyah Afolabi wasn’t to be outdone, as she played a major role in helping the Welsh quartet to a memorable gold in the girls 4x300.
Individual 300m winner Darcy Coslett, Chloe Farmer (Llanishen High), Annais Sheppard (Radyr Comprehensive) and Afolabi took the baton round in 2:39.35 to hold off England, who clocked 2:39.83.
Evie Cooper (Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera) had got the day off to a medal-winning start for Wales as she took silver in the girls 3kg hammer – the first field event of the morning.
Despite difficult throwing conditions in the heavy rain, Cooper performed consistently from the third round onwards, producing four throws over 50m, saving the best until last – a season’s best 54.39m, which was enough to bring her second place behind England’s Alice Howe.
There was also a Welsh medal in the first track event of the day as Welsh boys team captain Fraser Higginson (Ysgol Llangynwyd) claimed bronze in the boys 3K walk, crossing the line in a new PB of 15:31.95. Ireland’s John Glennon won in 13:52.98.
Nia Wakley (Gowerton) also claimed bronze in the girls 3K walk, celebrating a new PB of 19:15.16, behind gold medallist Robin Murphy, of Ireland.
Another to gain a bronze medal over the 3,000m distance was Abigail Doherty (Flint High School), who produced a superb PB of 9:59.80 to finish third behind Ellarose Whitworth.
Welsh girls team captain Matilda Quick (Morriston Comprehensive School) picked up a bronze with a season’s best 12.38m in the girls shot put, having earlier finished fifth in the girls high jump with a season’s best of 1.57m.
The Welsh athletes’ medal winning efforts in the field events were rounded off by Sebastian Mitchell-Fofana (St Joseph's RC High), who won a bronze medal in the triple jump with a season’s best 13.59m.
There were a number of other excellent performances by Welsh athletes, many claiming personal bests, who finished outside the medals but helped their team to a total of 124.50 points to finish just behind Scotland in the overall standings. England topped the table on 240.50 points ahead of Ireland.