21st December 2022

OLIVIA BREEN CROWNED BBC CYMRU SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Olivia Breen (coach: Aston Moore; club: City of Portsmouth) has been crowned 2022 BBC Cymru Sports Personality of the Year following a superb year which saw her win a second Commonwealth title.

Prior to her gold-medal winning display in Birmingham in August, Breen had lowered her personal bests in both the 100m and the long jump.

Over the 100m, the Welsh athlete improved her best to 12.76 (0.8) at a meeting in Newham, slicing 0.21s off her previous best set in 2021. In the long jump, the event she won bronze in at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, she jumped a mark of 5.15m at the Loughborough International in May. She also jumped a wind-assisted 5.33m in Clermont, Florida in April.

But the crowning moment of Breen’s season was her victory in the T38 100m final at the Commonwealth Games. Representing Wales, she ran the second quickest time of her career – 12.83 – to secure her second career Commonwealth title.

It was one of two gold medals in Athletics for Team Wales at the Games; the other was Aled Davies victory in the discus.