Rising Cardiff 1500m star Piers Copeland finished a hugely creditable fourth place in his first major final at the European Indoor Championships in Poland on Friday night. The Welsh Indoor 1500m record holder produced a superb finish to move up through a large and high quality field in Torun to finish in a time of 3:39.99 – just outside the medals.

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.

Joe Brier just missed out on a spot in the 400m at the European Indoor Championships in Torun. In a high-quality heat in Torun, Brier clocked 47.08 secs to finish third in Poland.

Piers Copeland produced an impressive performance to ease his way into the European Indoor Athletics Championships 1500m final in Poland. The former Cardiff Metropolitan University student finished second in his heat to claim an automatic qualifying spot in Friday evening’s final.

West Indies captain Kieron Pollard has given Welsh cricket fans a glimpse of the excitement and awesome power he could bring to Welsh Fire next season. Pollard – who has signed to play for the franchise in the new format competition, The Hundred – smashed six sixes in an over to guide his country to a comprehensive four-wicket win against Sri Lanka in the opener of their three-match T20 series. He became only the third player to strike six maximums in a single over in international cricket.

Some things cannot be shifted by a mere pandemic and one of them is World Book Day, on Thursday March 4. The global celebration of reading goes on, with the value of a good book seeming more important than ever over the past 12 months. To mark the day, what better way than to suggest some favourite sports books – old and new – as chosen by sports journalists based in Wales.

Jordan Hart was just edged out in a close battle in her first competition of the year in Basel. The 26-year-old from Haverfordwest was beaten 21-19, 21-14 by Israel’s Ksenia Polikarpova at the Yonex Swiss Open.

Owen Smith will travel to Poland aiming to take care of some “unfinished business” in a Great Britain vest. The Cardiff Athletics star is part of the GB 4x400m squad for the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Torun where he hopes to put past disappointments behind him.

Welsh swimmers returned to competition last month, but it’s only a toe in the water ahead of the Olympic Games this summer and many more strange, new Covid-compliant races will be required before Tokyo, as Graham Thomas reports. Dan Jervis has been praised for his immediate return to form but he and the rest of Welsh swimming’s elite need more competition. That’s the call from Swim Wales performance director Ross Nicholas after Jervis, Georgia Davies and a number of other leading Welsh swimmers got back to racing in the pool at the recent Manchester International Swim Meet.

Golfers in Wales will soon be able to improve at a state-of-the-art, fully inclusive Short Game Academy, that is all-weather and floodlit, after work has just started on the exciting new project. The Inclusive Short Game Academy will be at Parc Golf Club between Cardiff and Newport and has been funded by the Sport Wales, R&A, Wales Golf and Parc itself.

With British middle distance running entering what could be a new golden era, rising 1500m star Piers Copeland is excited at the prospect of winning his first GB vest at this weekend’s European Athletics Championships in Poland.

Jonny Clayton says he will go into the Ladbrokes UK Open full of confidence after continuing his stunning start to 2021. The Pontyberem thrower is in the form of his life after following up last month’s Ladbrokes Maters success – his first TV title – with a superb four days at the Players Championship.

Three Welsh runners will be in Poland this weekend, taking on the continent’s best in the European Indoor Athletics Championships. In the first of three features, Owen Morgan has spoken to the youngest of the trio – 400m star Joe Brier. Joe Brier is relishing the chance to take on some of the best 400 meters in the world  this weekend. The Swansea Harrier will face the likes of three-time world indoor 400m champion Pavel Maslák at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Poland.

Rupert Shipperley and Jacob Draper have been named in the GB men’s hockey squad for four uncapped matches against India and Belgium. The games are part of the preparations for the resumption of the FIH Hockey Pro League and the subsequent Tokyo Olympics.

Elfyn Evans admitted he was hoping for better after finishing fifth on the Arctic Rally Finland. The Welsh rally ace, who won last season’s snow round in Sweden, was never in the hunt for victory as he finished one minute 1.5 secs behind winner Ott Tanak of Estonia.

Elfyn Evans was unable to make any inroads on Arctic Rally Finland but his championship hopes are set for huge boost. The Dolgellau-born ace ended Saturday’s second day in fifth spot – the same place where he had set out for the six special stages.

A group of Wales’ most promising athletes have been given access to approved training facilities as the sport takes its latest step towards returning towards normality. Until now, access had been limited to a group of 26 athletes who had been given “elite” status by virtue of them receiving the top level of Lottery funding under Welsh Athletics’ Commonwealth Games programme.

Elfyn Evans was fifth after the opening days of the Arctic Rally Finland on Friday. The Dolgellau-born racer was around 16 seconds slower on each off the two passes of the Sarriojärvi test – the second completed in darkness – as Estonia’s former world champ Ott Tanak dominated the first day.

Wales Golf has postponed the 2021 Ladies Open Strokeplay at Newport until later in the summer when it is hoped the event will be able to go ahead without restrictions. Newport Golf Club has continued to support this Championship and it will now be played Friday 24th – Sunday 26th September at the same venue.

Lauren Price has been named GB Boxing’s Best Female Boxer for the third year in a row. The 26-year-old picked up the top gong in a belated ceremony at GB Boxing’s gym at the English Institute of Sport Sheffield under strict social distancing protocols.