BRECON Athletic Club and Builth Wells High School athlete George Thomas is having a superb Welsh athletics season.
Running his specialised 400m event at Under 17 level, George has led the way to claim three gold medals at major championships so far this season.
Representing Brecon Athletics Club, he became Welsh Athletics Association champion in June when he won in a time of 49.03 seconds.
This success has resulted in George being selected to represent Wales in the Celtic Games on August 6. Competing against Scotland, Northern Ireland and Eire, this year’s international event is hosted by Wales and will be held at Swansea.
George’s next championship win was when he represented Powys Schools.
The Builth High School pupil achieved the Welsh Schools Athletics Association gold in a time of 48.96 seconds. This championship win culminated in George being selected to represent Welsh Schools at the Schools International Athletic Board championship held in Ashford, Kent.
Competing against the best from England, Ireland and Scotland, he showed a clean pair of heels and led from start to finish. This from the unfavoured outside lane and with two English athletes holding top spots in the British rankings at the time.
The prestigious championship gold medal was won in a new personal best time of 48.49 seconds. A bronze medal was also gained when he competed in the 4 x 400m relay.
The dedication that George shows to training and competition is reaping success and bodes well for the future.
At the SIAB Internationals, two other local athletes took part representing Welsh Schools. Jordan Price from Crickhowell High School competed in the 3,000m walk and Kurt Jones (comp Ed) competed in Hammer. Both are also members of Brecon Athletics Club.