Roles Lays Down Beijing Gauntlet

The Welsh Senior Open Championships in Swansea yesterday (15 June 2008) saw mixed fortunes for Wales’ Olympic hopefuls.

Discus thrower Philippa Roles returned to her Swansea roots from her base in London to throw the Olympic A qualifying standard and a Championship best performance. It is the second time the 30-year-old has thrown in excess of 61m in recent weeks and she believes she is in great shape:

“There’s a lot more there and I know what to work on now. It felt really comfortable today. I’ve trained really hard and I’m in better shape than I was five years ago.”

Roles is also still managing to juggle intensive training with a full-time job as a train driver:

“I’m on permanent early shifts at the moment which means getting up at 03:30am. But it means I can train in the evenings. It’s hard work and you have to stay focussed but my employer has been so accommodating. They’ve already said they’ll give me a month’s paid leave if I qualify for Beijing.”

She credits her current form to “going back to basics” and is enjoying a return to the Swansea Harriers as well as competing in Wales:

“I’m enjoying it and that has made a huge difference to my throwing.”

Meanwhile, 400m hurdler Rhys Williams – who decided to make a rare appearance over 200m – was forced to pull up in the final which was won by the rapidly improving Bruce Tasker of Carmarthen.

Williams, 24, has struggled with injuries and has even gone under the knife to help rectify a foot problem. It is hoped that the problem is not too serious ahead of next month’s British Olympic trials.

And while the Championships are an opportunity to spot the stars of the future, it also witnessed performances by some more familiar faces. There was surprise in the stands on seeing the name, Doug Turner, on the 100m start sheets.

The Cardiff sprinter – who took silver at the 1998 European Championships – hung up his spikes in 2002. He denied, however, that he was making a formal return to competitive athletics:

“People are calling this a comeback – it’s not. I came out here today for fun. I’m passionate about athletics and it’s given a lot to me. I came here today to check out what’s what with the current state of athletics in Wales.”

Turner qualified for the final by finishing fourth in his heat but he did not race.

John McFall also turned heads by lining up in the women’s 100m. The amputee sprinter – who was just last week put forward by UK Athletics for a spot at the Beijing Paralympics – decided the event would assist him ahead of his medal campaign:

“I got out of today what I wanted which was an opportunity to get race sharp and to gain more experience. I knew that some of the girls would be faster but that some would also be slower. It definitely gives me something to aim for.”

The Beijing-bound runner clocked 13.28 to finish fifth in his heat.

Rhondda hammer thrower Carys Parry continued her good run of form with a new Championship best performance, throwing 66.30. Parry – who works as a theatre director – forced Sale Harrier Laura Douglas into silver medal position by more than three metres.

Brett Morse’s place at the World Junior Championships looks almost secure as he was able to continue his winning ways. The discus thrower took gold in what was described by one official as “the highest quality discus final at the Welsh Championships in five years.”

With all throwers under the age of 23, discus throwing in Wales certainly looks bright and the appointment of Nigel Bevan at University of Wales Institute of Cardiff seems to be paying dividends.

Morse collected gold with a throw of 53.60:

“I’ve been throwing consistently and that’s really important as it demonstrates that the technical base is there. The trials for the World Juniors are next weekend and I’d really like to break the competition record. I’m world junior no.3 at the moment so my chances for a medal in Poland are good.”

There was also a promising performance delivered by James Thie. The 1500m runner ducked out early of his mother’s wedding celebrations on Saturday to compete in Watford and it was a decision that proved fruitful.

He clocked his fastest time in three years. He finished his heat at the University track on Sunday in 3:59.53 but decided not to race in the final due to a niggle in his neck.

Many of the outings by the athletes nurtured by the Welsh Athletics Talent Development Academy were also reassuring.

Gloucester AC Cardiff born Kate Yhnell displayed promising form throwing more than 49m on three occasions, maintaining her fifth place UK ranking in the Under 20s age group.

Caryl Granville of Carmarthen moving into the second spot of the UK Under 20 rankings, recording a 61.55 in the 400m hurdles.

Rock climber-turned-sprinter Rachel Johncock is another WTDA athlete who is progressing well. The Mold sportswoman set a new championship best performance at the under-15 Welsh Championships which took place on Saturday, clocking 25.12s in the 200m.

Johncock – who runs out of Colwyn Bay - also took gold in the 100m, clocking 12.36 into a head wind. The sprinter is now set to collect the UK Spar Sprints award at the Gateshead Aviva British Grand Prix in August for her progression over the last 18 months.

It was also a busy weekend for Newport’s Chris Gowell. He recorded 1:48.00 over 800m at the Elite BMC meeting at Watford on Saturday evening before travelling to Swansea. This marked the Swansea Harrier’s return to the track after hitting the World Indoor Qualification time earlier this year.

The WTDA is designed to help catapult talented athletes with developmental potential to the top. It is a relatively new initiative, now made up of 14 athletes, which ensures that the young talents have the necessary support needed to progress onto the UK: Athletics World Class Pathway - a programme that focusses on podium and top eight success at Olympic and World level.

For more information, please contact Jane Williams at Welsh Athletics on 029 2033 8274

For full results, please visit www.welshathletics.org