A BUDDING Powys journalist is dreaming of a bright future as a global correspondent after covering the Asian Games in China last year.

Iwan Blakeway, from Rhayader, got his first major scoop by covering the Asian Games and hopes to be working at the Olympic Games this summer in Paris.

After studying sports journalism at university, the 21-year-old covered such varied events as cycling, triathlon and marathon swimming at the games, postponed from 2022, which took place in Hangzhou from September to October.

From being based on the shores of the picturesque Qiandao Lake, Iwan is now back home, nestled in the equally picturesque Elan Valley.

Rhayader stands at the foot of the vast Cambrian Mountains and Iwan has lofty ambitions.

“I was in China for three weeks, but it flew by like three days,” said Iwan, a former Rhayader Primary School and Builth Wells High School (now Ysgol Calon Cymru) pupil.

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“The buzz of visiting a new country and continent carried on throughout the three weeks I was there, despite the heavy workload.

“My time at the Asian Games only fuelled my ambition to take part in more of these sporting events and I am still hoping to work in Paris this summer at the Olympics.

“In the meantime, I am back in Rhayader working as a freelance journalist, waiting to see what’s next in what will hopefully be a bigger and better 2024.”

Iwan, who graduated from Birmingham City University earlier this month with a first class honours degree, got his first taste of the exciting, chaotic life of a reporter covering the Commonwealth Games in 2022, which took place in Birmingham – working as a flash quote reporter at the event.

But it was a natural curiosity and love of sport from an early age – including being an avid reader of the County Times – where it all really started for him.

“I studied sports journalism mainly because it was a course that combined my writing skills and passion for sport,” he said.

“I was always good at English in school and participated in rugby, football and karate growing up.

“When I was little, it was always my job every Saturday to go into Rhayader and get the County Times and Western Mail papers.

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“Almost always, I would go straight to the back pages, reading the week's football and rugby match reports as well as the previews for the upcoming games. It just grew from there really.”

With his interest in news and reading, combined with playing rugby for hometown Rhayader RFC, football for Builth and attaining a 1st dan black belt in karate, having learned under Lee Taylor in Rhayader, journalism seemed the natural path for him.

At the Commonwealth Games he interviewed swimmers in mixed zones, and when a reporter for the Asian Games’ news service team pulled out, an old editor gave him a call and he was on his way to China.

It was the first time he’d travelled outside of Europe and furthest he’d ever been away from Rhayader. Now, he’s dreaming of Paris and other exotic destinations.