MALDWYN Harriers Athletics Club is the home to two new Welsh champions.

Maddie Griffiths from Welshpool and Llanymynech's Deri McCluskey marked their first major event since the easing of lockdown restrictions with class glory at the Welsh Mountain Running Championships in Devil’s Bridge near Aberystwyth.

Griffiths, a Welshpool High School student, was crowned women's under 17s champion while McCluskey of Llanfyllin High School also topped the podium in the men's under 17s race with clubmate Aled Breeze ending second.

County Times: Maddie Griffiths. Picture by Sharon Jones.

Maddie Griffiths.

Clubmate MacKenzie McCourt also ended on the podium with second place in the under 15s girls race.

Maddie and Deri have now qualified to run for Wales in the Junior Home Counties international in Rothay Park, Ambleside on Saturday, July 24.

The duo also join Aled Breeze in representing Wales at the international mountain running event in Northern Ireland in September with the Newtown-based club hopeful of further representation.

County Times: Deri McCluskey. Picture by Sharon Jones.

Deri McCluskey.

Harriers spokesperson Sharon Jones said: "We are really proud of everyone’s performances on Saturday, it was a very tough course and they’ve had very little racing for 18 months. For some it was also their first competitive race for Maldwyn Harriers.

"We are so glad to see them all out racing again."