By Owen Morgan
The busy cross country season continues for Welsh athletes this weekend at the IAAF Northern Ireland International Cross Country event.
Welsh Athletics has selected a strong team to compete in the Celtic and Home Countries International match which is incorporated into the event in Belfast.
European Cross Country Championships silver medallists Charlie Hulson, of Liverpool Harriers, and Swansea Harrier Kris Jones are selected fresh from representing Great Britain at the Simplyhealth Stirling XCountry last weekend.
They will be joined by Newport’s Abed Teweldebrahn in the men’s senior team and another European Championship silver medallist Matt Willis, of Wrexham AC, who will compete in the under-20 race.
The Welsh team will also feature both men’s and women’s reigning national cross country champions James Hunt, of Cardiff AAC and Scarborough AC’s Bronwen Owen, who features in the Welsh women’s under-23 team.
The senior women’s team includes Swansea Harriers trio Alaw Beynon-Thomas, who won the Welsh Inter-Regional Championships at Llandrindod Wells in December, Sian Edwards and Helen Marshall, along with Lucy Marland, of Cardiff AAC.
As well as the Wales senior, under-23, under-20 and under-17 teams, there will also be a Welsh schools team travelling to Belfast.
The Welsh teams will face competition from the national teams of Scotland, England, Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The event will also feature the fourth of five fixtures in this year’s British Athletics Cross Challenge.
Hulson is currently in third position in the senior men’s overall individual standings despite having only raced two of the three fixtures so far – winning in Cardiff and placing fourth in Liverpool.
While Willis is second in the overall under-20 men’s standings, just three points behind leader and fellow Welshman Jake Heyward, who is currently training in South Africa.
In the women’s under-20 standings, Cari Hughes is currently in second place, while fellow Swansea Harrier Verity Ockenden is fourth in the senior women’s event.