Steve Gardner smashes 800m Welsh record at World Masters Athletics champs in Sweden.

By Don Hale donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025

*Pictured above - Steve Gardener at the World Masters champs in Sweden.

Steve Gardner smashes 800m Welsh Masters record at World Masters Athletics champs in Sweden.

Report by Don Hale.

https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com


North Wales Road Runner, Welsh Master, and Team GB track athlete Steve Gardner smashed his own previous best record time in the 800m event during the World Masters Athletics Championships in Sweden last week with an improved time to set a new Welsh Masters Athletics record.

Competing on the track in Bjorlanda, Sweden, on 15th August, for Team GB, the M60 veteran ran home in 2 minutes 22.26 seconds. He was also the 3rd British athlete and the 1st Welshman, finishing 23rd overall based on the times over seven heats. There were 72 starters. 

And in the 1500m held over the past few days, he recorded another excellent PB finishing in 5.07.05, in 24th place overall, as the 4th British athlete, and once again he was understood to be the 1st Welshman. There were 57 starters over three heats.  

*Chris Pruski, the results coordinator from WMAL confirmed to Steve this week: “On behalf of Welsh Masters Athletics Limited please find a certificate attached, recognising your achievement at the World Masters Athletics Championships and improving your own 800m record. Many congratulations.”


*Steve Gardner (*above) on track for success during the World Championships.



Don Hale is a best-selling British author and former investigative journalist. He has been Journalist of the Year on three separate occasions in the past. and his extensive campaign to help free Stephen Downing for a murder he did not commit, won him both the Campaign and National Journalist of the Year Awards, A former regional newspaper editor, he was awarded an OBE in 2002 for campaign journalism. He has also been a lead investigator in several other successful, high-profile, miscarriage of justice and human rights cases. He has written several best selling books including - Murder in the Graveyard a true crime mystery story. There is also Buster Crabb - Ian Fleming's Favourite Spy, and Mallard about the battle to create the fastest steam loco in the world against the challenge from Nazi Germany, and more lately, there is The Jersey Boys and Liberation, about the secret stories of occupied Jersey during WW2, told by several resistance heroes and historians.

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