By Owen Morgan

Sprinter Melissa Roberts produced the performance of the day with a blistering win in the 200 metres at the Welsh Athletics Championships in Cardiff.

The Birchfield Harrier posted a personal best of 24.37, breaking her own championships record in the process, during the final event of a high quality first day of action at the National Indoor Athletics Centre in Cardiff on Saturday.

Roberts was delighted to regain the title she won two years ago: “We were a bit worried with the three rounds.

“I’ve never done three rounds before, so the aim was to get faster progressively and whatever happened in the final to just go with it. I’m very happy.

“My actual PB indoors was 24.4, I think, and that was my outdoor PB too, so we just wanted to get as close as we could. I already had the championships record so I really wanted to beat it.”

Roberts’ performance has caused something of a headache for the Cardiff Met student and coach Matt Elias, himself a former Wales and Great Britain sprinter.

“We’ve got quite a few plans,” said Roberts. “Originally I was just supposed to do a 60 indoors, so now we’re not really sure what races we’re going to do. I think we’re going to meet up next week and go through our options again.”

One of those options could be a place at the European Under-23 Championships in July. “We were trying to aim for a relay place, but with the way I’m running hopefully that could turn into an individual place if I’m lucky.”

More immediately the British Indoor Championships and the British Universities Indoor Championships are both on the horizon.

Roberts said: “I’m supposed to be doing the 60m at the British Champs. So again, I’m not sure now, but that’s the week before BUCS and our aim is BUCS so I don’t really want to get carried away.

“It’s a very nice problem to have but in the back of our minds we want to try to stick to what our aims were and that’s to medal at BUCS, so I want to try and do that if I can.”

Roberts’ win, finishing ahead of Swansea Harrier Gabrielle Fakande and Cardiff Archer Caitlyn Mapps, was just one of a number of spectacular performances on the first day of the National Championships.

Carmarthen Harrier Kyran Roberts put three years of injuries and uncertainty surrounding his athletics career behind him to win the men’s 800m title.

The early running in the final was made by Cardiff AAC’s Elliott Slade. But when last year’s Welsh 800m outdoor champion stepped off the track with just over a lap to go, Roberts took his chance.

While the open race was won by Northern Ireland international Andrew Wright, Roberts beat Cardiff’s Benjamin Reynolds and Deeside’s Owen Hibbert to the Welsh title.

Roberts said afterwards: “It was good to get back out there, I haven’t raced a lot in the last three years so I’m starting to enjoy the sport again and it’s nice to get a race under my belt.

“I’ve had a few injuries off and on. It’s been quite hard. I’ve been quite disillusioned, I was on the verge of knocking it on the head altogether, especially with uni exams and work.

“But I’ve started back into running and started enjoying it again. I’m back into training and races come from that. I’ve got the hunger back, as they say.

“I’m working with my coach and a good group of boys, which makes it a lot easier, and building up a few races as well. The more you see yourself progressing the more you want to do.

“I haven’t been setting targets for myself, I haven’t been putting pressure on to perform. I suppose I’m getting gains from that and enjoying it more.”

The women’s 800m final was won by Bracknell AC’s Rachel McClay, whose time of 2:10.81, edged out Cardiff AC’s Lizzie Harries and Rachel Scott, of Wigan and District Harriers and Athletic Club.

McClay said: “I felt quite comfortable if felt nice to get out and flush the legs out. I’m just gauging where I am. Training’s going well, racing’s going well so I’m just going to see where I go from here.

“I’m currently trying to work back towards my PB, I’ve had a few injuries and some other niggles, so it’s just trying to get myself back up to fitness and then from there I’ll see. Outdoors, I just want to get back as close to my PB as I can and then take that on board for next year.”

In the field there were impressive performances in the shot put from Adele Nicoll, who took the women’s title and Patrick Swan who claimed the men’s title.
Nicoll clinched the win from Cardiff’s Sarah Omoregie and Deeside’s Sabrina Fortune with a distance of 15.14m.

The Birchfield Harrier is starting to see the benefits of a change in technique which she hopes will lead to major championship appearances further down the line.

“It’s nice to see some consistency within the throws now, I’ve recently change technique, so it was like taking two steps back, but now we’re on the rise and it’s getting back up there.

“I’m hoping to get back up close to my personal best which means I’ll be in the mix with the best girls in the UK.

“It’s definitely a long term investment and I knew that when we made the decision. This was the best time to do it, before we got into another cycle for the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics etc. I wanted everything to be sorted out and to be in a good place by the time 2020 comes around.”

Plymouth AC’s Swan retained his men’s title with a throw of 15.75m, which put him clear of Daniel Cork, of Newport Harriers.

Swan said afterwards: “It wasn’t as good as last week when I threw a really good PB of 16.30, but it was still really good.

“It was very much all about the title today and trying to keep it strong because I love my Welsh roots and it’s always really an honour to be Welsh champion and throw with such good athletes.”

The first track final of the day was the women’s 60m hurdles, which was won by Cannock and Stafford AC’s Olivia Walker in a time of 8.68, from Cardiff AAC’s Lauren Evans and Jodi Beynon, of Cardiff Archers.

While the day’s first field action saw Wrexham AAC’s Thomas Walley leap to the Welsh title with a distance of 14.20m.

In the vertical jumps, Cardiff Archer Mark Mellor was the clear winner in the pole vault registering a height of 4.15m, ahead of Swansea Harriers Ieuan Hosgood and Glyn Price.

The women’s pole vault title was won by Woking AC’s Clare Maurer with 3.75m ahead of Swansea Harrier Carys Jones and Cardiff AAC’s Megan Griffiths.

Cardiff Archer Emily Thomas retained her Welsh long jump title with a leap of 5.63m, while team-team Ellie-Rose Isaac took silver and Emilie Davies, of Blaenau Gwent AC, bronze.

In the penultimate track final of the day, there was an impressive win in the men’s 400m for Swansea Harrier Steffan Dylan Jones, who claimed his first Welsh title in a time of 50.75 ahead of Newport Harrier Tom Evans.

Day two of the championships start at 10am on Sunday morning with a full programme of track and field events.
A full timetable of events and all of Saturday’s results can be found on the Welsh Athletics website.