For Elites Only: Swansea Harriers Griffiths Duo Dewi And Josh Among Star-Studded Field In Newport

By Owen Morgan

A star-studded field of British endurance athletes and throwers travel to Newport on Saturday for three track and field elite-only events.

On the track, some of Wales’ best distance runners and race walkers compete over 10,000m and will be joined by some of the top athletes from around the UK.

The throwing circle at Newport Stadium will also host an impressive array of talent in the Elite Winter Discus event.

The only disappointment is that due to COVID restrictions there will be no spectators to see what should be a high quality event.

Josh Griffiths will like Swansea namesake Dewi be using race as sharpener for London. Pic: Joe Both

However, fans can watch the 10,000m races via a livestream on the Welsh Athletics Instagram account which starts at 1pm.

The men’s 10,000m sees the clash of Swansea Harriers’ Griffiths boys – Dewi and Josh – who will be looking to warm up for the British Olympic Marathon Trials at Kew Gardens in London later this month.

Both men will have high hopes of impressing in London on March 26 as will Cardiff Athletics pair Charlotte Arter and Clara Evans, who will use Saturday’s women’s 10,000m to fine their preparations to make their marathon debuts in London.

Meanwhile, the 10,000m race walking events will see the clash of Britain’s top two women – Cardiff’s Beth Davies and Pembrokeshire’s Heather Lewis. The men’s race features 12-time British Champion and UK record holder Tom Bosworth.

Charlotte Arter among the star-studded women’s 10,000m field.

The action on the track begins with the runners. Dewi Griffiths is the fastest man in the 10,000 field. The Carmarthenshire farmer is one of the quickest over the distance in Welsh history with a PB of 28:16.07 putting him sixth on the nation’s all-time list.

Like his namesake, Josh Griffiths will be hoping to test his form ahead of the marathon trials in London.

A third Swansea Harrier, the multi-talented Kristian Jones, who has represented Great Britain on the track, at cross country and orienteering, will have one eye on the 28.30 qualifying mark for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Also testing their form with ambitions of making the Welsh team in Birmingham will be Cardiff Athletics team mates James Hunt and Mike Ward.

Ward is no stranger to the distance and clocked 29:16.20 in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2019, while Hunt is a Welsh cross country champion.

Kris Jones another among the Swansea Harrier contingent in Newport.

Leeds athlete Emile Cairess will be looking to crash the party as the sole English athlete in the men’s field and has a 28:48.15 best from two years ago and more recently a sub-eight minute clocking over 3000m from February.

In the women’s race, Arter is the fastest on paper with a best of 32:15.71. The Cardiff athlete, along with clubmate Evans, will use the race as part of preparations for London.

Challenging for the win will be Lily Partridge who has a 10,000m PB of 32:20.77 and last year enjoyed wins at the Vitality Big Half Marathon and the Antrim Coast Half Marathon, where Evans finished third in a personal best of 72.21.

Jenny Nesbitt, who trains with Arter and Evans will also be in action on Saturday. Nesbitt will also have the Commonwealth Games 10,000m standard of 32:30 in sight having run 32:38.45 at Highgate in 2018.

There will be further Welsh rivalry in the women’s race walk where Pembrokeshire Harrier Lewis will face Cardiff Athletics’ Davies.

Bethan Davies (right) and Heather Lewis will renew their walk rivalry on Saturday.

Lewis is the current Welsh Champion over 5,000m, while Commonwealth Games Bronze medalist Davies was the 2019 British Champion over 5,000m.

Abigail Jennings and Pagen Spooner complete the women’s line-up.

The men’s race will see Bosworth face off with close rival Callum Wilkinson in the men’s race. Bosworth is the current National Record Holder with 39:10 and Wilkinson holds the U20 National Record at 40:30 and has since improved to 39:52.

The discus competition will see Pembrokeshire Harrier James Tomlinson chasing the qualification mark of 54m for this summer’s European Under-23 Championships in Bergen.

Last weekend, Tomlinson threw a new personal best of 53.30 at the Loughborough Winter Throws Meeting.

Harrison Walsh and Zachary Tandy will be in action representing Disability Sport Wales, while Kirsty Law of Cardiff Athletics, will also compete.