COMMONWEALTH Games sprinter Mica Moore believes not being able to compete this summer has been a “blessing in disguise” for her and other track and field athletes.

The Covid-19 pandemic left the 2020 outdoor athletics season in tatters, with Newport’s Moore missing the opportunity to build on the best winter of her career.

However, determined to make the most of a difficult situation, Moore, 27, has used lockdown to her advantage - alongside boyfriend and decathlete Curtis Mathews.

“Everything was fine before lockdown because the track was open and I was training as normal,” said Moore, who ran in the sprint relay for Wales at the 2014 Commonwealths in Glasgow.

“I’d put in a good block of winter training. It was probably the best transition from indoor to outdoor and winter training I have ever had.

“I was really excited to see what I could do outdoors, then we found out lockdown was going to happen.

“There are always going to be races next year, so there’s no need to panic.

“I actually feel it has all been a blessing in disguise for myself and people I know.

"I’m really lucky to live with another athlete, and we’ve been able to bounce off each other.”

Moore, who lives in St Mellons, continued: “There’s a lot of flat ground where we live but not much grass, which is what athletes train on if they can’t get on a track.

“We bought a running machine and a couple of gyms loaned us some weights, so maintaining fitness hasn’t been a problem.

“We’ve also got a perfect stretch of road outside the house which I can use to practice my starts."

Moore's father (Lawrence) is her coach and she explained that the pair had been forced to make do with video calls during lockdown.

On her winter, she added: “At the British Championships, I was fourth in the 60m and fifth in the 200m with a season’s best. The 200m was really encouraging.

“I’m not known for my 200m and I’ve never really liked it, but I’m starting to.

“Coming back from bobsleigh was going to mean a tricky turnaround.

“Sprinting and bobsleigh are very similar in terms of training but very different psychologically.”

Moore finished eighth in the women’s bobsleigh alongside Mica McNeill at the 2018 Winter Olympics before announcing that October she would step away from the ice.

When asked if a return is likely, Moore, who is studying for a masters in Sport Broadcasting at Cardiff Met, said: “I don’t miss bobsleigh at all.

“Sometimes I’ll get a message asking if I miss it or if I’m coming back. You can never say never but it’s really important I focus on one thing.

“I spent a lot of time focusing on two sports, but I can’t give my all to both things.”