By Owen Morgan
Less than 24 hours after extending his own Welsh hammer record for the second time this season, Osian Jones went and did it again with a massive throw on Sunday.
The Liverpool Harrier, who broke his own record at the Welsh Athletics International in Cardiff last month, had improved it once again in Portugal on Saturday afternoon with a throw of 72.19m.
But competing at the same event on Sunday, he obliterated the new mark with a monster effort of 73.85 as he finished second to Windsor Slough and Eton’s Taylor Campbell.
Following his record-breaking throw in Cardiff, Jones told Dai Sport that he felt there was more to come this season and the North Walian is certainly delivering on that prediction.
While Jones says his main aim is building towards next year’s Tokyo Olympics, the latest effort edges him closer to the qualifying standard of 76m for the World Athletics Championships in Doha later this year.
His latest record-breaking performance puts him up to 15th on the all-time UK rankings and third overall this year.
The prestigious International Throws Meeting in Leiria, Portugal, saw a number of Welsh athletes taking part across the two day competition.
Also in the hammer, Cardiff’s newly crowned Welsh Champion Jac Palmer finished fourth on Saturday with 67.35m and sixth on Sunday with 64.70m.
In the women’s hammer, Deeside’s Amber Simpson, who has been enjoying a hugely successful season on the American collegiate circuit, recorded two third placed finishes.
The University of Memphis student registered 60.39m on Saturday and 59.27m on Sunday. Cardiff’s Ffion Palmer finished ninth in Saturday’s hammer competition with 54.06m.
In the women’s javelin, Welsh champion Bethan Rees produced two excellent performances to finish second on both days with distances of 47.31m and 47.71m.
There was also a first outing since the end of May for multiple Paralympic and World Champion Aled Davies, who produced an outdoor season’s best of 15.96m in the shot put.