POWYS’ young female athletes stole the show at the annual Aviva Welsh Schools National Track and Field Championships held in Brecon last weekend.
The county was represented by athletes of all ages, with the annual event one of the showpiece athletics tournaments in the Welsh calendar.
However girl power really did take over on the day, when Powys girls snatched three out of the seven Championship Best Performance records, set over the whole competition.
Newtown’s Sian Swanson, Adele Nicoll of Welshpool and the Price sisters, Rhianwedd and Ffion of Llandrindod Wells, ran, threw and jumped to ultimate success, to take their place on the podium as well as setting new Welsh Schools records.
The Price twins have been making their presence felt at national cross-country and track competitions for the last five years and it was more of the same at Brecon, with the sisters sharing the limelight.
Ffion grabbed the headlines by winning the World Mountain Running Youth Challenge in Italy the previous weekend and took glory in the 1,500m with a time of 4:46:10.
Rhianwedd ran a solo 1,500 metres steeplechase, finishing with a time of 5:26.43 to take 20 seconds off the record set in 2009.
The Llandrindod High School student also received the JDB Williams Memorial Cup for the outstanding track performance by a girl.
Meanwhile Coleg Powys student Sian Swanson - thought of primarily as a high jumper - pulled off a shock by entering the triple jump and setting a new record.
On her fifth attempt Sian leapt 11.66 metres to add 38cm to the previous best, which was set in 2003.
Later in the day the same athlete boosted her reputation even further with a high jump of 1.68m to take gold in the senior girls, as well as setting a new Welsh record.
Welshpool High School’s Adele Nicoll was also in fine form and broke a 29-year-old record with a shot putt throw of 12.62 metres, while also taking silver in the discus.
The Year Eight student has been earmarked as a talent for the future as Wales continues its preparations for the Commonwealth Games in India, in October, and the London Olympics in 2012.
Catrin Thomas took bronze back to Caereinion High School in the under 17s girls 300m, while a silver medal was just reward for Llanfyllin’s Nia Breeze in the under 20s girls 100m.
Although Powys’ young male athletes were completely overshadowed by their female counterparts there was a medal for Welshpool’s Sean Squibb, who took bronze in the under 15s boys 100m.