By Owen Morgan

Welsh athletes have excelled at home and abroad as Kate Seary set a new Welsh steeplechase record in Manchester and Joe Brier claimed a huge new 400m personal best in Belgium.

Seary broke the 3,000m steeplechase mark on her debut over the distance. The Cardiff athlete produced a brilliant performance to finish second to Sarah Tait, clocking 10:21.23.

The time eclipsed the previous Welsh best over the barriers of 10:25.03 set by Amman Valley’s Jade Williams in 2017.

It was a successful afternoon all round in the steeplechase for Welsh athletes at the British Milers Club Sports City Grand Prix as Jonathan Hopkins won the men’s event in a time 8:36.50.

Cardiff’s Ieuan Thomas was third in 8:50.38.

Meanwhile, Hopkins’ Swansea Harriers team mate Brier produced a breathtaking run over 400m in Oordegem, Belgium, on Saturday afternoon.

Running in lane one, the Wales and Great Britain international stopped the clock in 45.84 to slash almost half a second off his personal best as he finished third in a high quality field.

The time is the third fastest by a British athlete this year and the fifth fastest 400m time by a Welsh athlete ever – displacing his coach Matt Elias in the top five.

Brier now only sits behind Welsh legends Iwan Thomas, Tim Benjamin, Jamie Baulch and Dai Greene on the nation’s all-time list.

Saturday’s time was narrowly outside the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games standard of 45.75.

Another Welsh athlete to claim a new PB on the continent on Saturday was Spain–based Angharad Davies who dipped under 4:30 in the 1500m for the first time as she registered 4:28.20 finishing fifth.

Back in Manchester, there was also a PB and European Under-23 qualifying time of 3:40.36 for Newport athlete Remi Adebiyi.

Cardiff athlete Lizzie Harris also celebrated a PB as sheclocked 2:08.53, finishing third in the 800m B race.

Welsh athletes have enjoyed an excellent few days as far as personal bests are concerned.

Welsh shot put champion Adele Nicoll produced a consistently high quality set of distances with her first five throws at the Manchester Invitational on Thursday night.

But with her final effort, Nicoll launched the shot to a bignew PB of 16.49, to massively improve her previous best of 16.34, set in 2019.

At the same meeting, Cardiff’s James Heneghan set a new 1500m PB when he finished fifth in 3:41.66, eclipsing his previous best of 3:43.10 set earlier in the month.