‘No reason why you can’t make the world stage too’

Local youngsters have the opportunity to learn Athletics from the very best after Welshpool’s own Adele Nicoll announced a summer training camp, which she hopes will lead to a Welshpool Athletics Club.

Only last week, Adele, 25, confirmed that she will be competing for Team Wales in shot put at next month’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and if that didn’t mean her summer was busy enough, she has announced her very own training camp for youngsters aged from 5-18 from August 30-September 2.

Tomorrow (Sunday) she will be competing at the Müller British Athletics Championships in Manchester.

“It is something that I have wanted to do for a long time, and despite being a really busy time for me preparing for the Commonwealth Games, I felt it was the right time to hold this now to spark initial interest in Athletics,” said multiple Welsh champion Adele, who began her own journey as a nine-year-old after enjoying a sports day at Leighton Primary School.

“It all started from there. I joined Oswestry Olympians and stayed there until I joined Birchfield Harriers at 14.”

Adele has been successful in receiving Sport Wales funding to buy equipment which can also be used by Welshpool High School, and she said the opportunities have never been better for local youngsters to follow her into the sport.

“There are excellent facilities at the high school now and the equipment is brilliant,” she said. “When I started, I used to train on Salop Road fields. For the 2013 World Youth Championships, my dad had to clear the cricket pitch there so that I could train, so the opportunities are much better now for young people to get into Athletics.

“I have worked with some of the best coaches in the world, so I am really looking forward to sharing this knowledge with young people from the Welshpool area.”

Adele will be supported at the summer camp by several coaches, including Great Britain international coach, James Tomlinson. She has also put five people through training courses and said it is something she hopes to continue doing for more local people.

Places for the camp taking place at Welshpool High School are expected to be snapped up fast and anyone aged 5-18 who wants to take part can book through adele.nicoll.academy@outlook.com or by calling 074 6379 1528.

The days will run from 8.30am-3.30pm and the cost is £30 for a day, or £115 for the full four days.

Adele is established as one of the top athletes in Wales, and earlier this year she was a part of the two-woman bobsleigh team that competed in the Beijing Winter Olympics for Team GB.