By Owen Morgan
Athletics fans heading to the Welsh Indoor Championships in Cardiff this weekend will enjoy the added bonus of seeing some of Europe’s top decathletes and heptathletes in action.
The National Indoor Athletics Centre will host a combined events international match as well as the annual national indoor championships.
A Great Britain team, featuring three-time Welsh Commonwealth Games competitor Ben Gregory, will take on France, Poland, Spain and the Czech Republic in an international match running alongside the domestic showdowns.
Leading the race for Welsh title glory will be the country’s fastest man, Sam Gordon, who is also eyeing up a medal challenge at next month’s British Championships in Birmingham and the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow, early the following month.
Gordon, who will be aiming to defend his Welsh indoor 60m title, said: “I’m looking forward to having my first run of the season at the national championships this weekend – I’m hoping to open up with a good marker, so it sets me up well for the British champs and rest of the indoor season.
“I’ve been excited to race after the decent season I had last year. As long as I stay fit and healthy, I’m excited to see how I will perform” added Gordon, who last summer clocked indoor and outdoor personal bests as well as winning his first GB vest.
There will be plenty of local competition for Gordon in the shape of fellow Cardiff sprinters Jeremiah Azu, who last weekend clocked 6.73 at the Non Thomas Open and Joshua Brown.
The women’s short sprint should also be one of the highlights of the Welsh Championships with Commonwealth Games athlete Hannah Brier hoping to put an injury dogged couple of seasons behind her.
The Swansea Harrier, who kicked her season off with a rapid 7.39 last weekend, said: “The Welsh Championships are a great opportunity for me to run in front of a home crowd.
“I’d like to go out there and have fun, and that’ll hopefully lead to a fast time. After a few difficult years with injury, I’d love to run a lifetime best over the 60m sprint again this indoor season.”
Brier, whose PB is 7.31, will be up against fellow Welsh Commonwealth Games sprinter Mica Moore, who last weekend ran 7.56 in her first indoor race for two years, and Maltese Olympian Charlotte Wingfield, as well as the likes of Shannon Malone and Mel Roberts.
In the field events, the shot competition should draw plenty of interest with some star names amongst the entry list including world champion and world record holder Aled Sion Davies, who last summer added to his array of medals and records when he won two golds at the World Para Athletics Championships in Berlin.
Another gold medallist from those games in Germany, Sabrina Fortune, of Deeside AC, is also due to compete.
If all that domestic action wasn’t enough to whet the appetite, the NIAC crowd will be able to enjoy watching Welsh decathlon star Gregory wearing the Great Britain vest on home soil in the international match.
The Loughborough-based Birchfield Harrier, who wore the Welsh vest at the Delhi, Glasgow and Gold Coast Commonwealth Games said: “I know I’ll need to bring out my best performance this weekend, and I’m sure the whole support for the British team competing in the combined events international will be amazing.”
Gregory earned his place in the Great Britain team after winning the Welsh Combined Events Championship in Sheffield and finishing third in the English championships.
“Training and preparation for this European International has gone well, so I hope to give a performance that reflects that in Cardiff”
“Surrounding the combined events international with the best athletes in Wales and the atmosphere for the indoor championships will be a great boost for the teams competing.
“This is a huge opportunity for the small team of multi-event athletes from all around the UK to compete on home soil and benefit from the home crowd, friends and family in the stands.
“I’d love to see the crowd get behind the team wearing the British vest, and I’ll be running with the Welsh vest in my heart!”
The Great Britain team also features heptathlon world under-20 champion Niamh Emerson, who said: “I’m really looking forward to my first pentathlon in two years this weekend in Cardiff. It’ll be a great competition to compete in never mind watch with lots of amazing international athletes in!”
The two-day event is available to watch live online at runjumpthrow.com, as well as in person with tickets costing just £4 on the day. Further information can be found at www.welshathletics.org.