GWENT’S stars of track and field will be out in full force at this weekend’s Welsh Championships in Cardiff, with Winter Olympian Mica Moore and Great Britain steeplechaser Ieuan Thomas in action.

Newport Harriers, Cwmbran Harriers, Blaenau Gwent AC and Rhymney Valley AC are all represented, while there’s a number of Gwent athletes competing for clubs outside the region also taking part.

Birchfield Harriers sprinter Moore is one of those, and she will be returning to the scene of her 100m triumph two years ago.

A lot has happened for the 25-year-old from Bassaleg since then, most notably her exploits alongside Mica McNeill in the bobsleigh at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics last February.

A return to university followed and Moore is now eyeing the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham – she was part of a record-breaking Welsh relay team at Glasgow 2014.

It was in 2017, the year she won her maiden senior 100m title, that Moore set a new lifetime best of 11.64secs.

An injury this season hasn’t allowed her to challenge that mark so she isn’t placing any great expectations on herself this weekend.

“I had an Achilles problem through the winter and into the start of the summer so just being able to run in the Welsh Championships has been more my goal this year,” she said.

“I’m not where I was two years ago so I’ll just see how it goes in Cardiff, and a lot of the women are running really well this year, which is good for Welsh athletics.

“I don’t think I’ll do too many competitions after the championships as I’m going out to the European Youth Olympic Festival in Baku, and I also need to shut down and rest my body a little bit.

“The Commonwealth Games is still the long-term goal, but that’s a long way off and this year has been about enjoying competing.

“I’d loved to have run some quick times this year but hopefully there will be opportunities to do that over the next few years.”

Meanwhile, Pontypool’s Thomas, who has competed at the World Championships, European Championships and Commonwealth Games in the last couple of years, is down to go in two events in the Welsh capital.

The Cardiff AAC runner is listed in the finals of the 3000m steeplechase today and 1500m tomorrow – Thomas is the defending champion in the latter.

Other Gwent athletes competing include sprinter Caitlyn Mapps, triple jumper Macey Jones, middle- distance runner Isobel Parry-Jones and pole vaulter Maddi Hamer.