Gareth Hopkins
Athlete of the month - January 2010
Gareth's performances in the Welsh indoor championships have earned for him the title of athlete of the month.
In the Under 20 championships, held on 31 January, he won the 200m (22.13) and 400m (50.00) and took third place in the 60m (7.10). In the 400m heats he had set a championship best performance of 49.46.
Gareth competed in the senior championships on 23 January, winning the 200m in a new championship record of 22.16 and taking fifth in the 60m.
Gareh is coached by Helen James who was herself an international sprinter.
Mike Ward
Athlete of the month - December 2009
Besides winning the Welsh Inter Regional title at Builth Wells in December, Mike was selected after the race for the Welsh U17 team to take part in the Celtic International in Belfast on the 23rd January.
Mike also won the October (Bridgend) and November (Bath) Gwent League Under 15 races and was 3rd in Taunton.
Only training twice weekly and playing rugby so far, Mike has excellent future potential.
Ava Hutchinson
Athlete of the month - November 2009
Cardiff member and Irish international Ava Hutchinson' selection to represent her native country in the European Cross Country Championships which will be held in Dublin on 13th December has earned for her the title of athlete of the month.
Competing for her Irish club Dundrum South Dublin AC, Ava (pictured during the race) was sixth in the Irish Inter County championships at the Kilbeggan Racecourse, near Dublin, to gain selection.
Ava lives and works in Loughborough and competes regularly for Cardiff. She will be very much at home in the European Championships as Dublin is her home town.
Tom Marshall
Athlete of the month - October 2009
Tom Marshall has been selected as October's athlete of the month for his fine run in the National 6 stage road relays held on 17th October in Birmingham.
Tom ran the first leg, finishing in 6th place in 17:17, the second fastest time ever recorded by a Cardiff athlete in this race. The fastest time is held by Olympian Christian Stevenson.
Tom had also won the Welsh 5k road race championship held on 27th September.
Lewis Newton
Athlete of the month - September 2009
Lewis is selected as the athlete of the month for his performance in the UK Schools Games where he was one of only 8 Welsh athletes to finish in a medal position. His pole vault of 3.85m earned him the bronze medal.
Lewis was also a member of the triumphant Young Athletes' League team being chosen as the athlete of the match at the fourth round fixture. He was also the club's under 17 athlete of the year and is seen with his award at the presentation evening.
He ended the year ranked third in the UK under 17 pole vault with his best performance of 4.40m set in Carmarthen on 1st August.
Joe Thomas
Athlete of the month - August 2009
After setting a personal best time of 1:46.20 for 800m in 2008, Joe could expect to look forward to 2009 as an important year in his career; until he was struck by illness which severely disrupted his season.
He has finished 2009 with a bang, clocking a near pb of 1:46.36 on 6th August and following this with a fine third place in the British Grand Prix at Gateshead on 31 August, beating British No. 1 Michael Rimmer.
Joe is ranked third on the UK table for 2009.
Simon Lawson
Athlete of the month - July 2009
There could be only one candidate for July's athlete of the month after Simon Lawson crowned a fabulous season by taking the silver medal in the 10,000m at the European Junior Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia. His time of 30.35.62 was outside his best but this is not significant in such an important race.
Simon's was the first British medal in these Championships.
Earlier this season, Simon set a new Welsh Junior 10,000m record of 30.03.90 before becoming UK National champion over the same distance and qualifying for Novi Sad.
After the race Simon said “Coming here and taking a medal is great. I think more athletes should run 10k, but I know they can be discouraged from doing it. I’m running about 100 miles a week and yes I may burn out but you don’t know unless you try. What’s the point of running 1500s until you’re 26 or 27, by then it could be too late. Just get out there and do it – that’s what I’m about!”
Well, he has certainly gone out and done it - in style.
Jamaul Whyte
Athlete of the month - June 2009
Jamaul Whyte completed a successful June's competition programme by winning the Welsh Schools Championship middle boys' titles in both the 100m and 200m and by being selected in both events for the Welsh Schools teams for the schools international to be held in Antrim on 18th July and for the UK Schools Games in Cardiff on 5/6 September.
Still only 15, and at St Teilo's school, Jamaul had already established himself as an important and inspirational member of the club's successful Young Athletes' League team, regularly winning the 100m and 200m and, as a multi eventer, competing in other events as well.
A talented athlete and a character, Jamaul can be recognised by his trademark long stripey socks and pink hoodie.
Well done Jamaul.
Sam Cogan
Athlete of the Month - May 2009
Sam Cogan has had an extraordinary May competing for Cardiff AAC. Primarily a 100m/200m runner, she was asked to fill in the 300m at the first National Young Athletes' League meeting at Plymouth and, after a little persuasion on the coach journey to the venue, agreed. She went out to clock a staggering 42.0sec, looking the part and winning by a considerable margin. She has since been undefeated at this event and has improved her best time to 40.7sec (a grade 1 performance), ranking her 1st in Wales and 15th in the UK. She is also ranked 3rd in Wales over 200m with 26.1sec.
Sam was a wonderful team captain in Plymouth and, when she concentrates her training on her new event, will surely run well below 40sec. She is and will continue to be an asset to the club and a role model on the track, exemplified by her determination to maintain her form in the final 100m of a difficult event.
Sam has got off to a flying start in June by becoming Welsh champion with a personal best time. Congratulations Sam.
Richie Gardiner
Athlete of the Month - April 2009.
It was not difficult to select April's athlete of the month after Richie's performance in the 2009 Flora London Marathon on 26 April. His UK third place in 2h 19.48 was his second fastest marathon time but an agonising 8 seconds short of the qualification time needed for next year's Commonwealth Games. A month earlier Richie had finished in 8th place in the Bath Half Marathon, two places behind March's athlete of the month Simon Lawson.
Simon Lawson
Athlete of the Month - March 2009.
Club member Simon Lawson (only 18) set a new UK Junior record when coming 6th in the Bath Half Marathon on 15th March. Naturally this is also a new Welsh and club record. This was a world class run by Simon who broke the old record (set in 1988) by almost a minute, finishing in 1:05:49.46. Simon is one of the club’s most promising runners and this break through offers much for his future athletic career. Well done Simon and good luck.
8th in the same race was club colleague and distinguished marathoner Richard Gardiner and the club team came first in the team race.