Noa wins bronze in national college championships endurance race
The Coleg Menai student was chosen to captain Wales at the AoC Sport National Championships in Nottingham
Coleg Menai student Noa Vaughan won bronze in the national college championships endurance run, competing against some of the UK’s best young athletes.
Noa, who studies Level 3 Sport & Exercise Science at the Llangefni campus, was chosen to captain the Wales Colleges Sport team for the AoC (Association of Colleges) Sport National Championships.
Noa finished the 5.1km multi-terrain race in an impressive 16 minutes four seconds, just eight seconds behind winner Owen Ulfig, and five seconds behind silver medallist Sam Plummer.
Also competing for Wales were Coleg Llandrillo learner Elis Jones, who was 28th in 18:11, and Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor student Tomos Morgan (41st, 18:58). There were 71 finishers in a high-quality field.
The AoC Sport National Championships features a range of sports including badminton, basketball, boccia, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rugby 7s, tennis and volleyball.
Noa carried the flag for Wales at the opening ceremony for the event, along with women’s captain Olivia Llewellyn, of Coleg y Cymoedd.
Noa said: “It was an honour, as always, to represent Wales - but even more so to have the opportunity of captaining the whole men’s team and walking down the aisle with the Welsh flag. The atmosphere of the opening ceremony was amazing and it really did get me excited towards the race.
“The race itself was very tough. It included a lot of hills throughout, and it felt very warm. It was a very positive result for me because I showed that I could compete with some of the best young athletes in the UK.”
Despite feeling ill on the day of the competition, Noa secured bronze to add to an impressive list of athletic achievements over the past few months.
A member of the Eryri Harriers running club, he won gold at the Welsh Under-20 Cross-Country Championship in Cardiff in January, a few weeks after also winning the North Wales title.
Noa won the Welsh Inter-Regional Cross-Country Championship in November, while back in September he claimed an impressive silver medal while representing Wales in the British and Irish Junior Mountain Running Championships.
He said: “It gives me confidence knowing that I now have two British national individual medals.
“My aims towards the rest of the season include making my track season debut, running distances from 3k to 10k. I will also be doing some road races (5k and 10k) to try and get some PBs to help me develop as an athlete.”
Marc Lloyd Williams, Sport Programme Leader and Academi Coordinator at Coleg Menai, said: “We’re very proud that Noa was chosen to captain Wales Colleges Sport at an event like this, which is like a mini Olympics.
“Noa was up against elite athletes in his age group and did extremely well in a very close race, despite not feeling well on the day.
“He took part in this event a couple of years ago, which was good for gaining experience, and is now reaping rewards for his hard work and dedication. Da iawn Noa.”
Do you have a keen interest in sport, exercise and fitness? Grŵp Llandrillo Menai offers a range of courses from Level 1 to Degree level. Learn more here.