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09/02/2026 00:00, In Blog /

Day two of the 49^th Welsh Senior and Under-17 Indoor Championships saw more championship best performances with Wales’ fastest woman Hannah Brier (Swansea Harriers) leading the way.

Brier looked in supreme form in her senior women’s 200m heat as she cruised to victory by almost three seconds in a new championships best time of 23:97 which surpassed her own record of 24:15 set in 2022.

If the spectators at the National Indoor Athletics Centre in Cardiff thought that was impressive, Brier had news for them in the semi-finals.

The double Commonwealth Games competitor flowed around track to win her semi in 23.73 to improve her short-lived championship best and break Amy Spencer’s all-comers record of 23.74 set in 2002.

With the Novuna UK Indoor Championships on the horizon next weekend, Brier decided not to run in the final, which was won by Isabelle Wigley (Cardiff Archers) in 24.84.

Delighted with her performances in the rounds, Brier said afterwards:

That was really good, I’m really happy! I came in wanting a bit of speed in my legs and to see what I could run over 200.

This track isn’t known for fast times because it’s so tight and it’s not the quickest, so to run 23.7 is really quick.

In the semi-final, Brier even allowed herself a little celebratory clap of the hands as she crossed the line, which suggests there is more to come.

100 per cent 

agreed Brier.

I really wanted sub-24 today and I did that in the heat. So in the semi it was very much, ‘right, let's experiment and see what I can do.

I tried a few little tactical things. It seemed to pay off. So I think there's a massive time in there. I'm doing British Champs in the 200 next weekend and I’m really excited to see what I can do.

To get on the podium would be amazing. If I run it properly, I think I could be a contender next weekend.

Looking further ahead, Brier is targeting a place at a third Commonwealth Games this summer in Glasgow – the city where she made her Games debut as a teenager back in 2014.

The Great Britain international added:

I went when I was 16 years old, and it would be really special for me to go back to Glasgow. But I’m very much aware it's going to be a very hard team to make.

Another athlete to show excellent form ahead of next weekend’s UK Championships was Ffion Mair Roberts (Menai Track and Field) who was unstoppable in the senior women’s 400m final as she led from gun to tape to claim a new championship best time.

The former Bangor University student clocked 54.14 to shade Brier’s championship best time of 54.16 set in 2024. The Welsh championship silver went to Evie Aitchison (Swansea Harriers) in 59.69.

Roberts said afterwards:

That was amazing, totally unexpected too, which is nice. We knew training was going well so it was a case of putting the race together. It’s thanks to a lot of hard work and the support of my coaches.

Looking ahead to next weekend’s UK Champs, where she will compete in the 200m and 400m, Roberts added:

I’ll be a lot more confident going into them after that time today and hopefully I can build on it there.

Seb Clatworthy (Chelmsford AC) also warmed up nicely for the UK Championships by winning the senior men’s high jump with a best of 2:08m. Silver went to Toks Akanbi-Mortimer (Cardiff Athletics), who celebrated a new PB of 1.93m, while Sebastian Mitchell-Fofana (Cardiff Archers) took bronze with a season’s best 1.83m.

Matilda Quick (Swansea Harriers), who recently set a new Welsh Under-20 pentathlon record, was another to enjoy a productive weekend ahead of Birmingham.

Having claimed a new PB finishing second in the senior women’s long jump on Saturday, Quick won the senior women’s high jump title in another new PB of 1.73m.

Sunday morning started with multi-eventer Aidan Angilletta (Deeside AC) carrying on where he left off on Saturday by winning the Under-17 men’s high jump.

Having won gold in the 60m hurdles the day before, the National Development programme athlete added the high jump title with a best of 1.78m to edge out Tomos Singleton (Cardiff Athletics) in second and Gethin Hannigan (Cardiff Athletics) in third, who both jumped 1.73m.

Angilletta’s golden weekend was far from over as he went on to complete a hat-trick of titles by winning the long jump with a season’s best 6.53m.

Fellow NDP athlete Tiana Odugbesan (Cardiff Archers) won the Under-17 shot put with a brilliant new PB of 12.20m, ahead of Lily Parson (Cardiff Athletics) with 10.30m and another NDP athlete Tabitha Ventress-Brett (Swansea Harriers), who equalled her PB with 10.10m.

Odugbesan wasn’t finished there, however, in the Under-17 200m semi-finals, the talented multi-eventer sped to a new PB of 25.24 to reach the final as the fastest qualifier.

In the final, Odugbesan went even faster as she clocked 25.02 to take the title in fine style. Abbi Beadle (Cardiff Athletics) was second in a PB of 25.63, while Evan-Rae Hanniford (Cardiff Archers), who won 300m gold on Saturday, claimed bronze in a new PB of 25.79.

One of the most thrilling finishes of the day came in the senior men’s 800m final where Theo Cheshire (Woking Athletics Club) just managed to hold off Jack Messenger (Basingstoke and Mid Hants AC), to claim the Welsh title and the open race in 1:56.68. Alfie Osborne (Cardiff Athletics) was the second Welsh qualified athlete in a PB of 1:59.44.

Martha Bown (Menai Track and Field) followed up her Under-15 title at the Welsh Cross Country Championships last month by winning the Under-17 1500m title in 4:53.15.

NDP athlete Macsen Martins-Hughes (Cardiff Archers) rounded off a hugely successful personal weekend by winning the Under-17 200m final in 23.28 having won the triple jump title on Saturday. Martins Hughes also claimed silver in the long jump and bronze in the 60m hurdles.

The final track event of a high quality championships saw Dan Gatland (Newport Harriers) claim the senior men’s 200m title in a new PB of 22.61, just ahead of clubmate Lewis Ross in 22.88.

RESULTS

Read more from the Welsh Senior, U17 & Para Indoor Championships here: DAY 1