Have you ever dreamt what it would feel like to be the fastest woman in Wales?
Hannah Brier after achieving the 200m Welsh record. Photo by Pat Scaasi
Written by Holly Presswell
Recently, we had the honour to sit down with Hannah Brier who now holds that title.
On Monday 25 May 2026, Hannah Brier broke the 44-year old national record in running 22.79 seconds for the 200m. “I was coming down the home straight and I thought, this is really, really, really quick.” Hannah’s infectious smile and spirit brings the moment alive.
“When I crossed the line, actually the clock stopped at 22.80 and I thought, oh, I’ve equaled it. So I got excited over that and then it got rounded down to 22.79 and I can’t really remember much, I’ll be honest.”
A week before the 28-year-old Welsh sprinter added another Welsh record to her name, already holding the Welsh 100m record, she received the news that she hadn’t been picked for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer. “I knew before going into that race on the weekend that I wasn’t going, which was an emotionally turbulent week to say the least.”
“It’s really unfortunate that I’ve run the time about a week too late, which is gutting.” For most athletes, they “aim to peak towards July and August.” Hannah tells us, “to get a standard by early May is so difficult to do. We’ve all had to peak really, really early in the season.” “There’s got to be a cut-off, I completely understand that. I think it’s really unfortunate for athletics.”
Hannah as she finds out her time after beating the Welsh record. Photo by Pat Scaasi.
At just 16-years-old, Hannah made history as one of Team Wales’ youngest athletes competing in the women’s 100m and the 4x100m relay at her first Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. To be able to go back 12 years later “would have been a complete full circle moment.”
Despite the bad news, with the help of her family and friends, Hannah “had just a click in my mind and just thought, no, this is not going to dictate the rest of my season.” She explained, “I was standing on the start line going, I need to prove to myself that I am more than capable of being competitive with these girls.”
“I actually looked up the Welsh record again just to make absolutely sure and I remember making a mental note and saying that I'm going to run that time. I can't really remember much apart from just bouncing around and shouting and running over to speak to anyone who would talk to me.” The determination Hannah had found in herself “is probably the best example of how a mental mindset and resilience can actually lead to top sporting results.”
Representing Wales for over 12 years, Hannah has been “really supported by Welsh Athletics when I was younger.” However, growing up in the world of athletics, it wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows. “I struggled as a female in sport, especially when I was younger.” In a world where social media plays a powerful role in moulding body images, Hannah was exposed to content promoting the “need to be thin and slight to be classed as attractive.”
“As a sprinter, I had to build muscle and I struggled with that and the concept of my body to be a certain way to perform the way I wanted, but also to be the societal norms and the expectations put on me as a teenager. That was really difficult.”
“I was an absolute perfectionist, it can be a good trait to have, but I took it to the other end of the spectrum. I was struggling with my own mental health, eating disorders, and I used to pin my self-worth on how well I did on track.”
Hannah goes on to reflect, “I used to think I wasn’t a very good person if I didn’t do well in athletics races and I used to absolutely pull myself down completely.” In the wake of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Brier sustained an injury alongside everything else, “I had to take a sort of unintentional step back, but I think it was a blessing because having that forced time to step away a little bit from the athletics allowed me to find different things that I enjoyed.”
Hannah continues to reflect on younger years as an athlete, “We’ve all had issues growing up with menstrual cycles and how to cope on competition day. I used to think I couldn’t compete if I'm on my period.”
Historically, women have been underrepresented in sports science, with guidelines for training, injury prevention, and nutrition have largely been based on male data. However, since the 2020s, research has grown and “I think people are a bit more open about it.”
As more conversations and research surrounding women’s health are taking place, “I hope that any young athlete could come up to me and ask how do I cope with competing on my period?.” Hannah explains. “I think if there could be some sort of educational sessions around that, I think it would definitely help and be beneficial for younger athletes coming through.”
Today, Hannah is balancing full-time work alongside being a full-time athlete working as a Youth and Community Worker for her local council. In her 9-5, she supports young people facing issues, such as homelessness and mental health. “There are some days I just have to come home and sit on my sofa in darkness with a cup of tea, but I love it. It reminds me that a bad day on the track is not necessarily a bad day overall.”
“There’s definitely a crossover in terms of skill sets. They see me balancing full-time work and being a full-time athlete, and see me on the news competing in different countries across Europe and then see them on Monday at 8 a.m. It makes them realise, you know what, I can do it if I really wanted to.”
But Hannah isn’t just an inspiration to the young people she supports at work, but a role model for young women and girls in Wales. Born, and raised in Wales, “being Welsh is part of my personality and it’s something I’m really proud of.”
“It really hits me when young females come up to me and they say, I’ve seen this race or me and my parents have bought tickets for this race to come up and watch you.” As a fluent Welsh speaker, representing Wales “is really special to me and means a lot.”
Looking forward, Hannah tells us what is next for her. “I actually qualified for the European Championships, which is bizarre to me because that was something I never thought I'd ever do.”
At the end of June, Hannah is also competing at the British Championships. “I've got to try my best to come top three, which is going to be really difficult because women's sprinting in the UK is really tough at the moment, the standard is extremely high.” She’ll be running against Amy Hunt, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryl Neater, “It’s crazy to think that I’m up there with those women. My aim is just get as close as I can to them, be competitive and not have this imposter syndrome that’s looming over me a little bit at the moment.”
Hannah Brier. Image by Pat Scaasi
We couldn’t finish the interview without asking Hannah for some words of advice for any young women out there.
“I’d say just go for it. We can absolutely do what we want and we can go after those dreams. Don’t give up. I think I’ve had years of going, I’m going to give up. It’s not worth it. I’m 28 now, which is classed as quite old for athletics. But, you know, I’m still running PBs. I’m still running Welsh records. And if you absolutely want it, go after it and you can do it.”