by Ethan Harris
A number of Welsh athletes took the winner’s spotlight at the Welsh Indoor Championships in the National Indoor Athletics Centre in Cardiff.
Welsh titles were won by small margins in a number of events as day one saw several Welsh winners competing against athletes from all over the world, including France, Spain and the Czech Republic.
Wales and Great Britain athlete Adele Nicoll took the top spot in the women’s shot put, as the Birchfield Harrier posted a throw of 15.14m to take the crown.
Sarah Omoregie sat just behind in second place, the Cardiff Amateur Athletic Club gave a strong showing but ultimately fell short of Nicoll on the day.
In fact it seemed to be Wales’ day from the off, as the very first event saw Thomas Walley take home the triple jump crown.
Walley gave a comfortable showing to beat Jeff Angila to continue his perfect regional record in 2019.
With a fast-paced two-man event, Walley’s 14.44m jump was enough to see off Angila, who despite his consistent performance could not crack the 14 metre mark that the Wrexham AAC athlete posted as his season’s best.
They were not to be the only Welsh Champions of the day.
The men’s shot put final saw another Welsh athlete come out on top, as Patrick Swan’s 15.75m throw put him ahead of the pack despite a strong challenge from Daniel Cork, close behind with a 15.63m throw.
Your Welsh medallists in the Senior Women’s Shot Put, with @adelenicoll crowned Welsh Champion #WelshChamps19 pic.twitter.com/naTSEAfH4g
— Welsh Athletics (@WelshAthletics) January 26, 2019
Rachel McClay also found success in the 800m final with a time of 2:10.81, whilst Kyran Roberts grabbed the top spot in the Men’s 800m during the afternoon session crossing the line at 1:55.76.
Finally, Steffan Dylan Jones finished strongly in the Men’s 400m final to round out a day of Welsh success, clocking in at 50.75.
With many of the athletes working towards the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow come March, a strong performance at the Welsh event will be a good benchmark heading into the competition.
Sunday’s proceedings will see more of the top Welsh athletes competing, including Sam Gordon, dubbed ‘the fastest man in Wales’ as he looks to kick start his indoor season over 60 metres.
Also competing will be Hannah Brier, as she pushes towards the top spot in the women’s 60 metre event against some strong competition, with another Welsh sprinter, Mica Moore, taking part in the race.
It will be a strong day of competition to bring the weekend to a close at the National Indoor Athletics Centre in Cardiff.
Full results are available here.
