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Weekend Round-Up (17-18 August 2024)
19/08/2024 00:00, In Blog /
ENGLAND ATHLETICS AGE GROUP COMBINED EVENTS CHAMPS AND UNDER-20 HOME COUNTRIES INTERNATIONAL: BATTLE OF THE AGES – ETON, AUGUST 17 AND 18
Wales’ Under-20 women’s 4x400m team set new age group best of 3:49.83 on the first day of competition at Eton.
The team of Anna Babis (Windsor Slough and Eton), Chloe Farmer (Cardiff Archers), Darcy Coslett (Llanelli AC) and Sophie Lisk (Cardiff Athletics) broke the record of 3:53.54 set in Cardiff in 2014.
Other stand out results for Welsh athletes in the individual events saw Sam Davies (Swansea Harriers) win the under-20 men’s high jump in a new personal best of 2.08m.
Abdul Afolabi (Cardiff Archers) won the men’s under-20 triple jump with a winning leap of 14.34m.
In the women’s under-20 long jump final, Jessica Lee (Carmarthen Harriers), took the honours with a best jump 5.95m.
Will Bishop (Cardiff Metropolitan University Athletics Club) was victorious in the ambulant under-20 men’s long jump final with a season’s best distance of 4.27m.
Nyree Perry (Bristol and West) finished second in the under-20 pole vault where she claimed a new PB of 3.55m.
Tomi Roberts Jones (Newport Harriers) was second in the ambulant under-20 men’s 100m in 14.18.
Meanwhile, Joseph Rees Gara (Newport Harriers) was narrowly edged out in an extremely close finish to the men’s under-20 1500m as he finished runner up in 3:59.83.
Darcy Coslett (Llanelli) AC was second in the women’s under-20 200m final clocking 24.61.
There was also a second place for GB international Owen Garrett (Yate) in the guest under-20 men’s discus where he threw a best of 49.98m.
Lucy Harris (Swansea Harriers) matched Garret’s performance in the women’s under-20 discus where she was runner-up with 38.86m. Likewise, Mia Lloyd (Carmarthen Harries) was second in the ambulant under-20 discus with a season’s best 15.92m.
The ambulant under-20 women’s 100m final saw T37 athlete Amirah Peckham (DSW Para Athletics) finish third in 17.87.
Anna-Rose Merchant (Cardiff Athletics) finished third in the women’s under-20 800m final in a new PB of 2:10.22.
The combined events competitions also saw Welsh success across the weekend.
In the Under-17 women’s heptathlon, Matilda Quick (Swansea Harriers) enjoyed a hugely successful event.
On day one, last year’s under15 champion, Molly Mills (Sale Harriers) got things under way with an event-leading 11.64 in the 80m hurdles.
But it was Wales’s Quick and Isla Pain (Cheltenham and County Harriers) who both cleared 1.64 in the high jump and took over as the leading two.
Next up was the shot, which saw Quick increase her lead with 12.98m. Pain threw 10.65m, while Mills could only close the gap slightly with 10.98.
However, the 200m shuffled the pack again as Pain’s 27.13 saw her lose points compared to Mills’ 25.87 and Quick’s 26.40.
All of which meant as day one closed, Quick led from Mills and Pain, 3079 to 2829 and 2827pts.
Picking up where she left off on Saturday, Quick, the overnight leader stretched her lead by a further 31 points over Mills thanks to her last round effort in the long jump.
Quick ended a very consistent series with a best of 5.15m, after opening with 5.09m, while Mills also saved her best for last, jumping 5.04m.
Quick then opened the javelin with a personal best of 31.90m but this event was all about damage limitation for the Welsh athlete as Mills has a big throw in her armoury.
She opened up with 35.17 but then produced a massive throw and PB in the final round of 38.90. That moved her to within 148 points of the lead with just one event to go – the 800 metres.
On paper, Mills was close to 25 seconds faster than her Quick. Mills hit the front from the gun and hauled the field through 400 in 68 seconds. She stopped the clock at 2:21.33 and waited.
But not for long. Quick’s time was 2:31.23 which meant the gold medal would be heading to Wales. Quick’s timely improvement in the final event was enough and she won with 4871 to Mills’s 4851.
“It was a great competition and I knew it would be tough,” said Quick. “Molly [Mills] was ahead of me in the rankings and then I knew she would really run hard in the 800. I was glad I’d built up that overnight lead.”
In the under-15 hexathlon Welsh athlete Tiana Odugbesan (Cardiff Archers) took the early lead thanks to her fastest ever 75m hurdles of 11.49.
Talia Northcott (City of York) responded with a 5.52m long jump, which combined with her 11.82 hurdles moved her into the lead, while teammate Carys Francis (City of York) added a 5.20m long jump to her 11.46 opener to keep it close at the top.
Odugbesan moved back to pole position after the javelin where she threw 29.50m. Behind her, Northcott ended day one with 24.04m which placed her third overall while Jasmine Nkoso (Herne Hill) moved into second after her 35.43.
Things tightened up after just the first event on Sunday as Northcott moved into second place thanks to her 1.54m in the high jump. Nkoso slipped back to third with her 1.48m clearance, while up front Odugbesan continued to set the pace with 1.51m.
However, it was Leanna Elliot (Cumbernauld) who stole the limelight, not to mention the top slot, thanks to a magnificent 1.69m that saw her leapfrog everybody with a 11-point lead.
At this stage, the Scot was now in control given she had a fast 800 in her locker. But Nkoso changed things in an instant with her first throw of 12.59m in the shot.
It put her in the gold medal position and once again, it was anybody’s guess where the gold medal would be heading. An 800 metres after two days of intense competition is always difficult to call especially when just 110 points separates first from third.
The race mirrored the competition as a whole – too close to call. Elliot crossed the line second in 2:23.85, Nkoso ran 2:30.94, while Odugbesan finished a fraction later in a PB of 2:30.96, which meant it was gold for the Herne Hill Harrier.
Nkoso scored 3084 while Elliot ended with 3785, with Odugbesan finishing third with a new PB total of 3,751 points.
In the Under-15 boys Octathlon, Cobie Phillips (Cardiff Archers) finished fifth overall with a new PB points total of 3,765.
CHEPSTOW RACECOURSE 5K, 10K, HALF MARATHON – AUGUST 17
The Chepstow Running festival took place on Saturday at the town’s famous racecourse.
The 5K race, which involves one lap of the circuit was won by Craig Smith in 17:34. Travis Edwards (Forest of Dean) was second in 18:39, while Ewelina Ciesielska (Team Frontier) was the first female to finish, in third place overall, in 19:24.
Sarah Stewart (RUNNA) was fourth overall in 19:48, while the third female runner home was Saffi Reid in ninth place overall, clocking 23:17.
The men’s 10k was won by Ryan Knight (Western Tempo) in 36:10 with Peter Morton (Weston AC) second in 36:50 and Benjamin Fisher third in 37:48.
The women’s race was won by Kim Price (Parc Bryn Bach Running Club), who was ninth overall in 43:43. Megan Lewis was second in 45:43 with Emily Laing third in 46:01.
The overall winner of the half marathon, and the first female runner to finish was Felicity Bagwell, who led the field home in 1:21.30. The second woman home was Beth Griffiths in 1:38.26, with Paradine Hammond third in 1:42.04.
The first male finisher was Luke Collier in 1:25.03, ahead of Rob Porter 1:25.12 and Christopher Tart-Roberts in 1:28.37.
RACE THE TRAIN 2024 – TYWYN, AUGUST 17
Race the Train is a multi-terrain event which takes place alongside the route taken by the Talyllyn Railway on its journey to Abergynolwyn and back.
There are four different categories with runners attracted from all over the world to take part in what is described as a unique event.
The Quarry Challenge was won by Joe Davies (Bideford Blues) in 42:03, ahead of Ricci Watts (Pont-y-Pwl and District Runners) in 42:09 and Connor Carson (Kenilworth Runners) in 42:53.
The first female athlete to finish was Ellie Hunter (Bristol and District Tri) in 49:18, with Shavaun Jordan (Cleobury Mortimer Running Club) second in 50:20 and Emma Barley (Pewsey Vale RC) third in 51:18.
The winner of the Dolgoch Challenge was Jason Wells in 37:08 with Andrew Jones second in 37:50 and Joseph Murphy (Hermitage Harriers RC) third in 38:51.
The women’s winner was Maeve Kennedy in 48:05, followed home by Judith Kennedy 49:07 and Diane Furlong (Horwich RMI Harriers) in 50:08.
Jake Tyrrell (Wreake and Soar Valley AC) was the winner of the Tynllwynhen Challenge in 17:58, with Jack Reichow second in 19:03 and Jurgen De decker third in 22:24.
Emma-Jayne Charman (Shrewsbury AC) was the female winner in 23:29 from Cerys Brook (Tipton Harriers) in 25:50 and Claire Walker in 26:02.
Victorious in The Rotary Challenge was Dan Hallam (Wreake and Soar Valley AC) who completed the course in 1:28.38 ahead of Mathew Speed (Kent AC) in 1:28.07 and Graham Wadsworth (Southville Running Club) 1:30.41.
The women’s race was won by Clare Patterson (Parc Bryn Bach Running Club) in 1:47:36. Ffion Price (Builth and District Running Club) was second in 1:51.06 and Nia Nokes (City of Stoke AC) third in 1:52.14.
NEWHAM AND ESSEX BEAGLES STRATFORD SPEED GP – LONDON, AUGUST 18
Hannah Brier (Swansea Harriers) was in blistering form in London on Sunday where she dipped under her own Welsh 100m record breaking time in a wind-assisted race and ran the second fastest 200m of her career.
The performances are even more impressive as Brier has been largely concentrating on the 400m in recent times and hasn’t run a competitive 100m race since the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in August 2022.
In the first round of the 100m Brier, whose Welsh record is 11.33 seconds, ran 11.30 with a 2.7 wind behind her as she finished third behind World Under-20 Athletics Championship- bound Renee Regis (Shaftsbury Harriers) and multiple Great Britain medallist Asha Philip (Newham and Essex Beagles).
In the second round Brier ran another wind assisted time of 11.34 (+3.7) as she finished fourth behind Regis, Philip and Italy’s Gloria Hooper.
Later in the day, the 26-year-old ran a legal 23.32 (+0.9) as she won the first heat of the 200m races ahead of Darcy Kuypers (Blackheath and Bromley Harriers AC) and Cardiff Athletics’ Maltese international Charlotte Wingfield, who ran 24.03.
Brier has only once run a faster legal time over 200m – 23.29 at the same venue in 2022.
Other Welsh athletes in action in Stratford included Sam Gordon (Cardiff Athletics) who ran 10.33 (+3.7).
CAERNARFON 10K – AUGUST 18
Vinnie Martin (City of Stoke AC) won the men’s race in 32:04 ahead of Jim Hickinbottom (Shrewsbury AC) in 32:26 and Connor Rogers in 32:31.
The women’s winner was Tracy Rogers (Buckley RC) in 35:41 with Rachael Bourne (Staffordshire Moorlands AC) second in 37:02 and Alice Johnston (Les Croupiers) third in 37:57.
ST CLEARS 10K – AUGUST 18
The men’s race was won by Martyn O’Grady (Neath Harriers) in 35:26, ahead of Ollie George (Sarn Helen) in 35:50 and John Perkins (Amman Valley Harriers) in 36:42.
The winner of the women’s race was Haley Lawton in 40:27, ahead of Kirsty Smith (Swansea Harriers) in 41:51 and Sophie Palmer in 42:34.
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