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Weekend Round-Up (8-10 February 2025)
10/02/2025 00:00, In Blog /
GRAN PREMIO CIUDDAD DE VALENCIA – WORLD ATHLETICS INDOOR BRONZE – FEBRUARY 7
Dewi Hammond (Cardiff Athletics) ran a season’s best 6.77 as he won over 60m at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze meeting in Spain of Friday night.
AIR LOUGHBOROUGH – FEBRUARY 7
Tom Walley (Wrexham AC) and Mark Mellor (Cardiff Athletics) shared third place at the Air Loughborough pole vault and long jump event on Friday.
Both men recorded a best height of 5.17m and couldn’t be separated on countback. In the women’s competition, Carys Jones (Swansea Harriers) was sixth with a best height of 3.71m.
UK HOME NATIONS AND CELTIC CROSS CHALLENGE – LEEDS, FEBRUARY 8
A strong Welsh team travelled to Yorkshire to compete in the Home Nations Celtic Cross which was incorporated into the fourth leg of the UK Athletics Cross Challenge series.
The women’s under-17 and under-20 teams both picked up medals in the international match.
The highest placed individual finisher in the international event was Libby Hale (Swansea Harriers), who crossed the line in ninth place in the under-17 women’s race, clocking 13:41.
Close behind in tenth was Heather Watson (Deeside AAC) in 13:43. Bryony Boyce (Cardiff Athletics) was 16th in 13:57.
In the under-20 women’s race, Abbie Doherty (Deeside AAC) was the highest placed Welsh finisher in 10th place, crossing the line in 20:02. Millie Gold (Swansea Harriers) was 14th in 20:11.
Lauren Cooper (Parc Bryn Bach) led the way for Wales in the senior women’s race finishing in 15th position in 25:42.
The highest placed finisher in the senior men’s race was Dylan Nazareth (Les Croupiers), who crossed the line 19th in 27:31.
Zac Campbell (Deeside AAC) was 22nd in 12:48 in the under-17 men’s race, while Matt Benson (Maldwyn Harriers) placed 29th in 17:59 in the men’s under-20 event.
Away from the international races, Osian Parry (Menai Track and Field) produced an excellent performance to finish second in the under-15 boys UK Athletics Cross Challenge race, clocking 12:10. This backs up his third place finishes at both the Cardiff and Liverpool events.
JOHN H. COLLINS GWENT LEAGUE FIXTURE FOUR – MARGAM PARK, FEBRUARY 8
At the time of writing, final results for Saturday’s fixture are unavailable, but should be accessible shortly.
Male masters 45 athlete Phil Matthews (Parc Bryn Bach) produced an excellent run to finish second in the senior men’s 8.8k race behind Felix McGrath (Bristol and West Athletics Club).
Bristol and West Athletic Club finished in the top two team places while Les Croupiers Running Club finished third, which moves them up to second in the Senior Men Division 1.
Meanwhile, in the senior women’s race Parc Bryn Bach’s Elinor Mattey and Ewelina Ciesielska finished second and third respectively behind Katrina Entwistle (Bristol and West Athletic Club).
Parc Bryn Bach topped the team results, ahead of Les Croupiers and Bristol and West Athletic Club. The same three clubs occupy the positions at the top of Senior Women Division 1.
ENGLAND ATHLETICS U15/U17/U20 INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – SHEFFIELD, FEBRUARY 8 AND 9
A 40-plus strong contingent of young Welsh athletes returned from Sheffield with a large haul of medals and personal best performances.
Among them was National Development Programme athlete Aliyah Afolabi (Cardiff Archers) who continues to cement her reputation as one of the best young sprinters in the United Kingdom.
Afolabi won the women’s under-17 200m final in a big new personal best of 23.91, which puts her on top of the 2025 UK rankings over the distance, replacing Scotland’s Emma Clark who was second.
There was Welsh gold and silver in the men’s under-20 200m final where both Zico Jones (Be Fit Today Track Academy) and Aron Tugwell (Cardiff Archers) both celebrated big new PBs
Jones claimed top spot with 21.58, while Tugwell was a shade behind in 21.59, putting them in the top three under-20s over the distance this year.
Iolo Grant (Cardiff Archers) also climbed to the top step of the podium after winning the men’s under-20 60m hurdles in a new PB of 7.63, which consolidates his place at the top of the UK ranking this year. The time also puts him up to fourth in the UK all time Under-20 list.
Not to be outdone by her brother, Menna Grant (Cardiff Archers) claimed gold in a new PB of 8.60 in the under-20 women’s 60m hurdles final, which keeps her in the top three in the women’s rankings.
In the under-17 women’s 300m, the excellent start to the year being enjoyed by NDP athlete Darcy Coslett (Llanelli AC) continued as she won her heat in 39.43 and her semi-final in 39.11. The final saw Coslett claim her third victory of the weekend by running a season’s best time of 38.69.
The women’s under-17 long jump final witnessed Olivia Scrimshaw (Deeside AAC) just pipped to the gold medal by a centimetre. Scrimshaw’s best of 5.66 was just shaded by Thurrock Harriers’ Alice Lee Coshell’s PB of 5.67m.
And the Welsh NDP athlete matched her achievement in the under-17 women’s triple jump final where she claimed silver with a best of 11.83m.
Welsh Athletics Transition Programme sprinter Lewis Stephens (Cardiff Athletics) clocked a new personal best of 6.75 as he finished third, just 100th of a second behind Shaftsbury Barnet’s Teddy Wilson, in the men’s U20 60m.
Stephens, now sits third in the Welsh all-time under-20 list for the distance behind Olympians Christian Malcolm and Jeremiah Azu, who is a training partner under the guidance of coach Helen James.
In the women’s 60m, Jessica Mantle (Cardiff Athletics) and Nell Desir (Cardiff Archers) were also in action. In the heats, Mantle claimed a new PB of 7.52, while Desir ran a season’s best 7.57.
Mantle, who has been in outstanding form so far this year finished third in the final in 7.54.
There was a PB of 13.84m for Owen Garrett (Yate and District AC) as he claimed a bronze medal in the men’s under-20 shot put final.
Another to claim a third place finish was Henry Evans (Newport Harriers) who clocked 3:58.89 in the men’s under-20 1500m final
There was a highly creditable fourth place in the under-17 women 1500m final for Bryony Boyce (Cardiff Athletics) who clocked 4:37.32 having represented Wales at cross country the previous day in Leeds.
The men’s under-20 400m final saw Harry Bradley (Newport Harriers) narrowly edged out of the medals by four hundredths of a second as he crossed the line in 48.63. The women’s under-20 final also saw Millie Webb (Cardiff Athletics) finish fourth in 25.04.
Charlie Shuall (Swansea Harriers) finished fourth in the men’s under-20 pole vault with 4.35m just ahead on countback of Jonathan Mellor (Cardiff Archers) who celebrated a new PB.
Lois Codling (Newport Harriers) finished fourth in the women’s under-17 800m final in 2:12.44, while Dylan Evans (Newport Harriers) was fifth in the under-17 men’s 800m final in 2:00.96.
Transition Programme athlete Jessica Lee (Carmarthen Harriers) finished fifth in the women’s under-20 final with a best of 5.93m. Meanwhile Grace Hawker (Cardiff Archers) was also fifth in the under-17 women’s shot put final with 12.20m.
Alice Sykes-Hand (Deeside AAC) was fifth in the under-15 girls high jump final with a best height of 1.53m.
RAS CORS CARON HALF MARATHON – TREGARON, FEBRUARY 9
Winner of the men’s race was Dylan Lewis (Sarn Helen), who crossed the line in 1:16.33 ahead of Matt Yelland (Clwb Run Wales) in 1:18.35 and Andrew Gittins (Aberystwyth AC) in 1:19.03.
The women’s race was won by Polly Summers (Sarn Helen) in 1:26.74, followed by team mates Becky Atkinson in 1:28.14 and Emma Palfrey in 1:28.19.
NICK BEER 10K – LLANDUDNO, FEBRUARY 9
Rhys Jones (Rhedwyr Hebog Runners) took the honours in the men’s race, stopping the clock in 33:09. Second was Simon Cole (GOG Triathlon) in 33:27 with Alex Homei third in 33:36.
Tinka Vinks (Eryri Harriers) celebrated victory in the women’s race in 39:08 from Emma Alofs (Cybi Striders) in 39:39 and Lucie Truett (Buckley Runners) in 40:55.
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