Jake Heyward Storms To Classy Win At Cardiff Cross Challenge

Rising Welsh track star Jake Heyward proved he can also cut it on the country as he won the Under 20 section at the Cardiff Cross Challenge at Llandaff Fields.

The European Junior 1500 metre champion accelerated away from Tom Mortimer in the last 100m to win by three seconds. It was the closest battle of another great day of athletics in the Welsh capital as the duo headed the field for the majority of the race alongside Luke Prior.

They were all still together with less than 400 metres to go and it came down to a frantic sprint for the line in which Heyward was always likely to be the winner and duly went on to clinch his maiden Cross Challenge victory.

Jess Judd continued her fine form this year to win the senior women’s race in style and make it two titles in a row in Cardiff. She showed her class over the 6400 metre course to seal victory by a second from Swansea Harrier Verity Ockenden, with Cardiff AAC’s Charlotte Arter in third a further four seconds back.

Ockenden was 70 metres behind Arter with 600 to go but reeled in her Cardiff rival during the closing stages, securing second place after a fantastic sprint finish.

Loughborough-based Sam Stabler left it late to secure his maiden senior men’s Cross Challenge win ahead of the ever-improving Mahamed Mahamed. Stabler made an effort to move away from the rest of the field on the second of three large laps.

This split-up the field, but he could not shake off the 2016 European cross country junior bronze medallist Mahamed Mahamed. The battle continued into the final stages of the 9600 metre course, when Stabler track sprint prowess came to the fore to earn him a notable four seconds triumph.

Welsh World Championship steeplechaser Ieuan Thomas came home in fifth place, while there was a silver medal for Swansea Harriers’ Cari Hughes was second in the combined Under 17/Under 20 women’s race.