World bronze for Alyson

Tuesday 11 August 2009

Cardiff's evergreen veteran athlete, Alyson Hourihan, has returned from the recent World Masters Athletics Championships in Lahti, Finland, with a bronze medal in the women's discus.

Alyson, who competed in no less than six (yes, six) events, also broke the British record in the throws pentathlon where she finished in 4th place.

Alyson, who is 48, competes in the 45 to 50 age category and threw the discus 38.04m for her bronze medal. In addition to the discus, she contested the shot put (4th place with 10.72m), throwing the 20lb weight (5th with 10.26m), the hammer throw (6th with 31.61m) and the javelin (7th with 30.10m). She then completed all these events again in the throws pentathlon where she came 4th with a British record score of 3,965 points.

When being informed that she had set a new British record and asking whose record she had beaten she was told "yours". She had not realised that she was already the record holder - can you believe it?

Alyson is a response sergeant based in the Blackwood Division of the Gwent Police Force. She has been in athletics since she started, at 11 years of age, as a sprinter/hurdler but took up throwing after a bad leg injury curtailed her sprinting. She has been an ever present in club teams and still turns out for the UK Women's team whenever her police duties permit. She is also a level 3 qualified throws coach and a great asset to Cardiff AAC.

Very well done, Alyson.