NEWPORT sprint queen Mica Moore led the medal charge for Gwent’s track and field stars at the 100th Welsh Championships in Cardiff today.

Moore held off a late charge from Birchfield Harriers clubmate Melissa Roberts to claim her first senior national title over 100m, running a season’s best time of 11.69 seconds in the process.

Coached by her dad Lawrence, Moore is hoping to compete in next year’s Commonwealth Games and Winter Olympics, the latter as a member of the British bobsleigh squad.

Her victory in Cardiff today also came on the 82nd birthday of her grandfather Nigel.

Macey Jones (pictured below) equalled her personal best to win silver in the triple jump behind Sian Swanson of Swansea Harriers.

Sixteen-year-old Cwmbran Harriers ace Jones then jumped a new lifetime best (5.42m) in the long jump to finish fifth, 11cms shy of the podium places.

South Wales Argus:

Another medal came for Cwmbran in the women’s 400m where Gabrielle Fakande took the bronze.

Dewi Griffiths was a class apart in the 5000m but Newport Harriers’ Abed Teweldebrhan did enough to take third place.

Cwmbran’s Isobel Parry-Jones just missed out on gold in the women’s 800m, before finishing sixth in the 1500m.

Newport’s Armani Williams was seventh in the women’s 200m and clubmate Tyler Williams registered sixth in the men’s race.

In the men’s 1500m, Pontypool’s Ieuan Thomas, who has hopes of making the Commonwealth Games in the steeplechase, had to settle for fifth after a good start.

There was a double Gwent success in the under-15 girls’ 200m, with Newport’s Macey Morris and Blackwood’s Caitlyn Mapps (pictured below) sealing gold and silver respectively.

South Wales Argus:

Meanwhile, Newport’s Gareth Knight was second in the men’s masters 800m and claimed silver in his age group, while clubmate Brett Davies finished fourth but also collected silver in his category.

Also in the masters events, Newport’s Keith Powell triumphed in the pole vault, Ian Williams was third in the javelin, and Gareth Knight and Brett Davies both took silvers in the men’s 800m.

In the masters 100m, Newport duo Stuart Pearce and Juliet Sidney were the first male and female athletes home respectively.