12th March, 2013
Team GB middle distance runner Joe Thomas took 600m gold at the Welsh Athletics Indoor International.
The 25-year-old from Pontypridd, who reached the semi-final at the European Indoor Championships in Sweden last weekend, produced an impressive showing in the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ Grand Prix event at the National Indoor Athletics Centre (NIAC), in Cardiff on Sunday.
Men triumphed over women at the revamped competition (formerly the Celtic Cup) that used a handicap system to pit both sexes against each other for the first time.
Thomas took gold in the 600m and silver in the 300m behind talented all-rounder Seb Rodger (Eng).
He said: “The 600m went really well, I felt like I was cruising. I did the 300m for a bit of fun and enjoyed it.
“I just wanted to have a good run at the end of the indoor season and take that form into the outdoor.
“The Europeans was a good experience for me, I ran really well in the heat but got my tactics a tiny bit wrong in the semi-final and paid the price for it.
“But it showed that anything can happen indoors and I learnt a lot out there.
“The main thing is I’m healthy, this is the best I’ve felt for a long, long time and the outdoor season is what matters.”
Thomas failed to break Dai Greene’s 600m Welsh record but dominated to take gold in 1.18.40 with England’s James Bowness (1.19.94) and Paul Bradshaw (1.20.75) taking silver and bronze.Lawmaker Laments Neglect of Grassroots Sports.