NEWPORT sprint star Mica Moore has capped her breakthrough year by winning the prestigious President’s Award for female sprinter of the year at the Birchfield Harriers annual awards dinner, writes Andrew Penman.

The President’s Award, also known as the Daphne Arden Trophy, has previously been won by Olympic medallists Katharine Merry and Kelly Sotherton.

Birchfield star Arden won Olympic sprint relay bronze for Britain in 1964, bronze in the European Championships in 1962 and silver in the British Empire and Commonwealth Games the same year.

It’s a tall order for 21-year-old Moore to replicate such success but she is still on a high after helping the Welsh women’s 4x100m relay squad set a new national record at this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The relay girls – Moore, 16-year-old Hannah Brier and Hannah Thomas and Rachel Johncock – finished seventh in the final at Hampden Park.

The young quartet beat an experienced Trinidad & Tobago team with a time of 44.51 seconds and Moore is already looking forward to the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.

“The atmosphere in Glasgow was amazing,” said the 21-year-old former Newport Harrier who joined Birchfield Harriers last year.

“It was great to see all the Welsh flags and I was waving to all of them, even though I didn’t know them.

“We were shocked that all these people cared about four young girls from Wales.

“I’ve bought my flip-flops for Australia in four years,” she joked. “That is definitely something to drive towards and I’m sure all of us will work hard to get there.”