*Four veteran age category winners celebrated their victories at the NW Regional Indoor championship on Saturday, (l-r) Michael Finnie (NWRRC), the MV65 winner; Martin Weetman (Cannock & Staffs AC), the MV60 winner; Joe Horner (Menai T&F), the MV55 winner; and Don Hale (NWRRC), the MV70 winner.
Records smashed records, new PB times recorded, and prestigious medals won at the North Wales Indoor champs.
Report by Don Hale.
Nearly one-hundred top male and female competitors, aged from 11-80 years of age, took part in the North Wales Regional Indoor Track & Field championships last Saturday, held at the Deeside Stadium, Connah’s Quay, where three North Wales Road Runners (NWRRC), smashed records, set new PB times, and won prestigious age category medals.
These particular championships attracted a mixture of junior, senior, and veteran track & field athletes from clubs around the region, with gold, silver, and bronze medals awarded to the first three finishers in the varied age cat finals, with over fifty mixed track and field events offered.
Events ranged from the long jump, high jump, triple jump, hurdles, pole vault, and shot put, to the popular 60 dash, with several records smashed, and numerous fast finishing times recorded.
NWRRC entered three athletes and claimed two gold medals, and one silver, with each member setting new T&F records, and also recording some outstanding new PBs, and age category wins.
Super-vet Dave Gardner competed in the Male Masters shot-put competition and repeated his amazing victory from last month’s Open Competition, to win his MV80 age cat with a new PB throw of 7.04, which was a vast improvement from his previous throw of 6.36.
Super-veteran Dave Gardner (*pictured right), who won his MV80 age cat in the shot-put final, with 60m dash MV65 age cat winner Michael Finnie, and master vet Don Hale, who won his MV70 age cat over the same 60m distance, with each member smashing records, and receiving medals on podium places.
Master vet Don Hale and veteran Michael Finnie ran in the 60m Male Masters grand final dash, and both athletes won their respective age categories, recorded new PB times, and claimed top medals.
Michael in particular, enjoyed another tremendous sprint run of just 10.97 seconds and confirmed his rapid improvement at indoor track events, with another new PB, and he also won his MV65 age cat, but unfortunately, he had to settle for a silver medal overall, as the competition only offered 10-year age bands based on his MV60-69.
Don Hale, meanwhile, won a gold medal for winning his MV70 age cat in the MV70-79 band, with a new and improved age cat PB of 12.33 seconds, to retain his top national ranking. Both athletes have set new records once again at this latest event in their respective age categories over this same distance for successive indoor meetings at this same venue.
*A special mention should also go to male master veteran Paul Brooks, from Wrexham AAC, a popular and long-serving official with the North Wales Regional Athletics Council, who won a gold medal in his MV75 age cat after throwing 7.32 in the shot-put competition. Peter Franklin (Colwyn Bay AC) also won a gold medal in the MV60 age cat with a throw of 11.26.
Martin Weetman (*above left) from Cannock & Staffs, who won a gold medal in his MV60 age cat, pictured on the podium with Michael Finnie (NWRRC), who won a silver medal overall, in the MM 60-69 race, but won his MV65 age cat.
The 60m sprint results included:
*MM55-75 age cat final: 1, Martin Weetman (Cannock & Staffs), 1st MV60, 8.64 seconds; 2nd Joe Horner (Menai T&F), 1st MV55, 9.03 secs, 3rd Michael Finnie (NWRRC), 2nd M60 overall cat, but 1st M65, with a new PB of 10.97 seconds; and 4th Don Hale (NWRRC), 1st MV70 cat with a new age cat PB of 12.33 seconds.
*MM35-50 age cat final: 1. Owen Chesher (Maldwyn Harriers), 1st MV40, 8.08 seconds; 2. Matthew Harding (Deeside AAC), 2nd MV40, 8.09 secs; 3. Glyn Wise (Wrexham AAC), 1st MV35, 8.60 secs; and 4th Luke Earnshaw (Meirionnydd RC), 1st MV45, 9.11 secs.
*Plaudits were later given to all the Welsh Athletics and local T&F officials, and to all the hard-working volunteers. This is a ink to the provisional results from the NW Indoor championships at Connah’s Quay: