By Owen Morgan

Welsh distance runner Dewi Griffiths made a spectacular return to competitive running when he won the British 10K in London.

Having been forced to pull out of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games earlier this year due to a stress fracture, the Swansea Harrier has been working his way back to fitness during the summer.

And on his first proper outing since dropping out of the Welsh Cross Country Championships half way around the Swansea Singleton Park course in February, Griffiths finished first on the streets of London in a time of 29:41.

Enfield and Haringey’s Matt Sharp finished second in 29:50 and Ian Kimpton, of Luton Athletic Club, was third in 30:08 on what was a difficult course with lots of twists and turns.

Before the race, run in hot city centre conditions, Griffiths said there was no pressure on him to perform, he was just happy “to be a runner again.”

Afterwards he paid tribute to everyone who had helped him return to action, especially Welsh Athletics lead physiotherapist Adam Rattenberry.

There was a strong Welsh contingent in the capital for the race, particularly from Swansea Harriers.

Two men who hit the headlines during the 2017 London Marathon were in action in the city once again.

Josh Griffiths, who was the top British finisher in 2017 London Marathon, finished the weekend’s 10k in fourth place in a time of 30:26.

While Matthew Rees, who made global news for stopping and helping a fellow competitor on the mall in the 2017 marathon, finished 22nd on Sunday in a time of 33:01.