Champions of Wales

Two local youngsters have ran themselves into the Welsh team, with one in particular hoping it will be third time lucky to finally pull on her nation’s vest.

Maddie Griffiths, of Welshpool, and Deri McCluskey, of Llanymynech, won the women’s U17 and men’s U17 races respectively at the Welsh Mountain Running Championships in Devil’s Bridge near Aberystwyth.

It means they will represent Wales at the Junior Home Counties meet in Rothay Park, Ambleside, on July 24, and the international mountain running event in Northern Ireland in September, with Maddie hoping that Covid continues to ease so that she can finally realise her dream.

The Welshpool High School student has been in this position twice before, but the first time she wasn’t old enough to represent her age category and then Covid denied her a second chance last year.

This time though she is raring to go and seems to be in the form of her life.

“I was excited to finally be back on the mountains and went out fast to get to the front,” she told us. “The uphills were steep but managed to keep my lead until the end. I am really pleased with the race and it is nice to be back out racing with the team. Couldn’t have done it without Maldwyn Harriers, especially Sharon Jones.”

The course proved tough, with nearly 1000ft of climbing, but it didn’t stop more success for the Maldwyn Harriers with MacKenzie McCourt also finishing second in the U15s girls race.