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Welsh U13, U15, U20 & Para Indoor Athletics Championships 2026 - Preview
15/01/2026 00:00, In Blog / Track & Field /
The 2026 calendar of national championships begins with a bang this weekend at the Welsh Under-13, Under-15, Under-20 and Para Indoor Athletics Championships.
Almost 500 of Wales’ most promising youngsters line up for an action-packed schedule over Saturday and Sunday at the National Indoor Athletics Centre in Cardiff.
On the track, the event starts with the Under-20 400m heats. The women’s races will feature Welsh Athletics National Development Programme sprinter Darcy Coslett (Llanelli AAC), who hit the headlines indoors last winter when she broke the British indoor under-17 400m record at the UK Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
On paper, Coslett is more than a second-and-a-half faster than any other athlete on the start list. However, the multiple Welsh record holder is likely to face a much stiffer challenge on the second day of the championships, where she lines up in the 200m.
Also on the start list over the one lap indoor distance is fellow NDP flyer Aliyah Afolabi (Cardiff Archers).
Welsh age group record holder Afolabi boasts a 200m PB of 23.76 – half a second faster than Coslett or anyone else in the 30-strong field.
Afolabi will also be in action on day one in the women’s under-20 60m where the under-17 athlete will face a strong entry including Great Britain international Nell Desir (Cardiff Archers).
Only 0.01 of a second separates Desir and Afolabi on paper as they share PBs of 7.50 and 7.49, respectively.
The men’s 60m sees Welsh Athletics Transition Programme sprinter Aron Tugwell (Cardiff Archers) line up as the fastest Welsh athlete in the field with Connor Rhys Fallorina Dean (Colwyn Bay) hot on his heels.
Meanwhile, in-form under-15 sprinter Jacob Barnes (Cardiff Athletics) will be aiming for a double in the boys 60m and 200m. Olympia Murray (Cardiff Archers) is the fastest of a number of sub-nine second sprinters lining up in the under-15 girls 60m.
Saturday witnesses potentially one of the highlights of the weekend’s field schedule in the men’s under-20 triple jump with three athletes boasting bests of more than 13.50m taking part.
NDP multi-eventers and Cardiff Archers club mates Macsen Martins-Hughes and Cobie Phillips boast PBs of 13.55m and 13.51m respectively, while another Archer, Sebastian Mitchell-Fofana has a best of 13.59m.
In another eagerly anticipated field event, Charlie Shuall (Swansea Harriers) will be favourite in the under-20 pole vault with a PB of 4.63m. However, Jonathan Mellor (Cardiff Achers) will be hoping to push Shuall to even greater heights with his own PB measuring 4.35m.
Among the outstanding under-13 talent due to compete across the weekend will be Rowan Carson (Bridgend Athletics), who is the quickest athlete in the boys 1500m with a super-fast PB of 4:33.88 and the 800m with a rapid 2:12.77.
In the 800m time trials at last year’s event Carson stopped the clock in a brilliant 2:14.59, which not only surpassed the championship best performance set in 2007, it smashed the Welsh age best of 2:20.52 set by Jacob Reynolds (Cardiff Athletics) in 2016.
Commonwealth Youth Games competitor Tomi Roberts-Jones (Newport Harriers) is the front runner for the all ages para ambulant 60m, which will also feature under-13 T38 athlete Sienna Allen-Chaplin (Swansea Harriers).
Under-17 NDP thrower Lachlan Robbie (Cardiff Archers) goes into the men’s under-20 shot put with a best of 16.74m. Among those hoping to challenge him will be GB discus international Owen Garrett (Yate and District AC).
Multiple Welsh record holder Libby Hale (Swansea Harriers) is entered in the under-20 women’s 1500m. The outstanding Transition Programme athlete will be up against the likes of NDP under-17 prospect Bryony Boyce.
Sunday’s action on the track kicks off with the under-17, under-20 and senior 3K walk, which will feature Commonwealth Games medallist and multiple British champion Bethan Davies (Cardiff Athletics).
In the field events, the first competition of the day will be the seated shot featuring F56 athlete Ellie Mai Bowen (Cardiff Archers), along with NDP F34 throwers Kieran Jones (Cardiff Athletics) and Jac Sheehan (Carmarthen Harriers).
The men’s under-20 long jump will see a trio of NDP athletes pit their wits against each other in the shape of under-17s Cobie Phillips and Macsen Martins-Hughes, along with under-20 Cardiff Archers club-mate Luca Phillips, who should be the clear favourite based on previous form.
Back on the track, the under-15 girls 800m promises to be hugely competitive with four athletes boasting times under 2:25 – Deeside twins Ella and Gwen Hayes, Betty Lancaster (Aberdare Valley AAC) and Elin Evans (Colwyn Bay), who has the fastest PB in the field with 2:21.42.
There will also be an air of anticipation surrounding the under-20 men’s 800m where the Welsh title is likely to be a head-to-head between NDP athletes Thomas Loynes (Neath Harriers) and Lucas Salvage (Newport Harriers). Although the likes of Alfie Osborne (Cardiff Athletics) and Cai Lewis (Newport Harriers) will hope to be in the mix for medals. There are also a number of strong non-Welsh athletes in the line-up.
The action starts at 10.45 am on both Saturday and Sunday. Good luck to all the athletes competing.