POLE vault rookie Maddi Hamer continues to reach new heights in her fledgling athletics career.

The former gymnast from Goytre only made the switch to track and field in the last year but has already shown that she could well be one to watch in the future.

Starting the season with a personal best of 2.32m, the youngster has improved that to 3m, taking her into the top two in Wales at under-17 level – she is only in the first year of this age group.

Earlier this month she competed at the Welsh Schools Championships on a boiling hot day in Cardiff.

Despite the conditions, Hamer took gold in the middle girls age section with a vault of 2.94m.

Winning meant a place in the Welsh team for the SIAB (Schools International Athletic Board) Track and Field International in Grangemouth, Scotland on Saturday.

And Hamer, eighth at the senior Welsh Championships where she represented her club Cardiff Archers, won’t be the only athlete from the South East Wales region to travel north on Friday.

Caldicot’s Macey Morris goes in the girls’ 200m and 4x300m relay, where she is joined by Bassaleg’s Isabel Davies and Islwyn High School’s Caitlyn Mapps.

Davies also runs in the individual 300m and Mapps bids for gold in the 80m hurdles and long jump, while Amy Jenkins, of Risca, is selected in the high jump.

For the boys, Blackwood’s Lloyd Sheppard, Caldicot’s Harvey Reynolds and Newbridge’s Dylan Bevan feature in the 3000m, 400m hurdles and shot put respectively – Reynolds is also in the 4x400m relay.

Grangemouth will also host the Celtic Games on Saturday, August 4, and there are some familiar faces in the under-18 Wales team.

Morris (200m and 4x100m relay), Mapps (long jump and 4x100m relay), Reynolds (400m hurdles and 4x400m

relay) and Bevan (shot put) are joined by Gabrielle Fakande (400m and 4x400m relay) and Armani Williams (4x400m relay), who were formerly with Cwmbran Harriers and Newport Harriers.

Meanwhile, Mapps goes in the 100m and 4x100m relay at the Welsh Athletics International in Swansea next Wednesday.

She lines up in the Wales under-20 team with Pontypool’s Macey Jones in the triple jump.