Jeremiah Azu Tops Bill As Elite Athletes Descend On Cardiff

Some of the UK’s top athletics talent descended on Cardiff at the weekend for a record-breaking 107th Welsh Senior Under-17 and Para Track and Field Championships.

With almost 800 athletes taking part, the championship attracted its biggest entry for 10 years – bolstered by incorporating the Great Britian team trials for the European Under-23 Championships in Norway later this summer.

There were Welsh all-comers records, Olympians, a world champion and championships bests galore.

There was even a visit from TV celebrity and newly appointed Wales Commonwealth Games Chef de Mission Gethin Jones, who was back in his home city to cast is eye over the nation’s exciting athletics talent.

However, top billing went to British, European and World indoor 60m champion Jeremiah Azu (Cardiff Athletics), who claimed the Welsh 200m senior/under-23 men’s title in a new personal best ahead of his brother and clubmate Alex.

Paris Olympic 4x100m relay medallist Azu is back in his home city after two years based in Italy and is clearly thriving since his return at the turn of the year.

Normally a specialist over the shorter sprints, Azu has competed over the half lap distance over the past few weeks.

The move is aimed at boosting his 100m strength ahead of upcoming Diamond League fixtures in the US and London.

The Azu brothers had looked impressive in the heats and semi-finals before lining up in the finale of the weekend’s action against some of the UK’s top under-23 200m specialists bidding for a place in Norway.

And it was older brother Jeremiah who took the Welsh title in a brilliant new personal best of 20.83, with Alex claiming silver in a season’s best 21.30.

Azu senior was just pipped to the open title by non-Welsh entry Jeriel Quainoo (Blackheath and Bromley) who claimed the overall win in 20.70 and was one of those to book his place on the plane to Bergen.

However, Wales’ fastest ever man over 100m was delighted with his day’s work on his home track at the International Sports Campus at Leckwith.

“I had so much fun,” said Azu. “A good bit of speed work. The goal was to get three rounds in and get quicker in each one so that was completed.

"It would have been nice to come away with the win but Jeriel’s a great 200m runner. I love running in Cardiff in front of the Welsh fans. I'm never going to forget a day like this.”

On running in the final with his brother, Azu added: “Yeah, it was insane. I saw him coming off the bed. I was like, ‘yo, keep going’! It was good to see.”

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This weekend, Azu is scheduled to be part of a star-studded 100m line up at the 50th anniversary of the prestigious Pre-Fontainne Classic Diamond League meeting in Oregon.

Also taking to the blocks will be the likes of Paris Olympics 100m silver medallist Kishane Thompson (Jamaica) and 2019 100m World Champion Christian Coleman (USA).

Azu explained the reasoning behind competing over 200m in recent weeks.
“It's to try and get that base, so I get that last 50 right in the 100m, so that was good,” said Azu who was sporting some strapping on his left shoulder.

“I also had this little shoulder thing, so this was just to get that confidence, to know that nothing's gone. We haven't lost anything. Yeah, I'm in a good place. And a PB – I’m getting into some good 200m times!”

Tokyo 400m Olympian and Commonwealth Games athlete Joe Brier (Swansea Harriers) had competed in the semi-finals and heats, clocking a season’s best of 21.21 but didn’t line up for the final.

Brier’s sister, Hannah Brier (Swansea Harriers), herself a Commonwealth Games athlete and Wales’ fastest woman over 100m, won the Welsh senior/under-23 women’s 200m title in 52.67.

Brier is hoping for a place at next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow – 12 years after making her Games debut in the same city as a 16-year-old.

The next generation of Welsh teenage sprint stars also made their mark. In one of the most anticipated races of the weekend two of the United Kingdom’s fastest under-17 athletes met over 200m on Sunday.

Aliyah Afolabi (Cardiff Archers) heads the UK rankings over 100m and 200m, while Darcy Coslett (Llanelli Athletics) tops the UK 300m rankings by almost a second.

On Saturday, Afolabi had won the 100m in a championship best time while Coslett was victorious in the 300m.

And the under-17 women’s 200m final lived up to the billing as both athletes shattered the hand timed championship best time of 24.4 set by Jane Bradbeer (Cardiff Athletics) way back in 1984.

Afolabi took the title with a blistering new PB of 23.86 – the fastest in the UK this year – while Coslett clocked an impressive PB of 24.27.

One of Wales’ top para athletes Olivia Breen (City of Portsmouth) was in excellent form in the male and female ambulant para long jump.

Breen, who won 100m gold at the last Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, jumped a season’s best 4.75m to win the women’s competition.

Among the proudest Welsh champions on the day was one of the many 2026 Commonwealth Games hopefuls taking part – Freya Jones (Harrow AC).

The former England javelin international, who competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, was delighted to win her first title in the land of her father since qualifying to represent Wales last year.

Jones, who has improved the Welsh record a number of times since switching allegiance, won the national senior/under-23 title with a best of 49.51m achieved in a difficult wind.

Commenting on her first Welsh title, a delighted Jones, who hopes to return to Glasgow wearing the red of Wales next year, said afterwards: “I haven't been to Leckwith in a really long time, so it's nice to be back.

"My dad, who is Welsh, actually brought me up today and my Welsh cousins are here. So it’s nice to have family around.”

Multiple British championship medallist Patrick Swan (Cornwall AC) added another Welsh title to his collection in the senior men’s shot put with a best of 17.46m.

Swan also received the Shaun Pickering Award, in memory of the late Welsh throwing legend, which was presented by his sister Kim Pickering.

The men’s senior under-23 discus title was won by F38 discus world record holder Michael Jenkins (Swansea Harriers) who took the title with a best of 56.08m.

Jenkins, who hopes to represent Great Britain at the World Para Athletics Championships in India later this year, is also in the mix for a place next month’s European Under-23 Championships in Norway.

Jenkins said after his win: “As a para athlete, going to an able bodied games would be something else. Essentially, I’m a metre off the qualifying distance set by GB, but I think I’m in the mix.”

The men’s ambulant para discus title was won by Paris Paralympian and Commonwealth Games medallist Harrison Walsh (Swansea Harriers) with a best of 53.31m.

In the senior women/under-23 shot put, Commonwealth Games competitor and two-time British champion Adele Nicoll (Birchfield Harriers) added another Welsh titles to her name with a best of 17.56m.

The distance saw Nicoll, who is also British bobsleigh international, once again go over the B standard for next year’s Commonwealths in Glasgow.

The ambulant/para female shot put saw Paris Paralympian Funmi Oduwaiye (Cardiff Athletics) take the title with a new PB of 11.94m.

One of the athletes who booked an automatic place in the GB team for European Under-23 Championships was Emily Parker (Poole AC) who broke the Welsh All-Comers record in the senior women/under-23 3,000m steeplechase. Parker clocked 9:52.72 in the open race to surpass Elizabeth Hall’s record from 2005.

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