Athletics: More success for Elin

Feb 18 2010

FOLLOWING a successful weekend at the Welsh Championships, Elin Jones of Ysgol  Y Creuddyn and Sale Harriers kept up her good form by winning at the Birmingham Games.

Sharing the arena with many of the UK’s best athletes , including Dwain Chambers and Katherine Endacott, Elin won both the Under-15 60m and 200m, picking up another personal best (26.79) in the 200m.

On Sunday she travelled to Deeside to consolidate her status as Welsh number one, winning the 60m in the North Wales Championships in a new championship record of 8.09sec, equalling her season’s best.

Elin’s next event will be representing Wales in the Celtic Cup in Cardiff on February 21. 

This will be her first call-up to represent her country and she will have to run against athletes 12 months older from Scotland and Northern Ireland in the U16 age category at 60m and 200m.

Recently Elin and fellow Creuddyn student Morgan Harries travelled down to Cardiff  to compete in the Welsh Indoor Athletic Championships at UWIC.

Recently transferred to Sale Harriers Manchester, Harries competed in the 60 & 200m, gaining personal bests in both – 7.84sec and 23.42sec – and a place in both finals. In the final he  gained a worthy bronze medal in the 200m in the U17  age group.

Athletics is not Morgan’s  only talent, he is also a member of the Welsh Hockey Squad, Regional Development squad for Football and also plays rugby for Llandudno and Creuddyn.

Colwyn Bay AC athlete Abi Backshall completed  a double  in the space of eight days in Welsh Indoor Championships at Cardiff’s  UWIC indoor arena.

In the 800m race, 14-year old Abi led from start to finish and was a comfortable winner with an indoor personal best of 2m 28.93s.

In a thrilling 1500m race against Olivia Gwynn, Abi’s main rival in middle distance and cross-country, the Swansea Harrier  built up a decent lead but from the bell it was Abi who sprinted home to take gold in another personal best of 5m.00.5s, with runner-up Gwynn clocking 5m 06.01s.

Abergele Harriers ladies maintained their place at the top of the Borders Road Running League Second Division, winning on home soil.

The in-form Jeni Richards led the ladies home in a personal best time of 34m 58s for 133rd position overall, and 14th lady.

She was ably supported by Carol Willgoose in 139th overall and 16th lady on the day in a time of 35m 20s and Sian Lloyd with an equally impressive 193rd overall and 43rd lady on the day in 39m 9s.

Harriers captain and race organiser Darren Blazier was the first club member home in a time of 27m 55m on the five-mile course and finished eighth. He was pursued by Keith Elliott, who took 1m 27s off his previous best for the distance to finish in 31m 5s for 56th place.