News
Heartbreak for Solva’s Micky Beckett as Olympic medal slips away
PEMBROKESHIRE star Micky Beckett has seen his Olympic medal hopes dashed, despite being on the brink of securing a bronze.
To claim third place behind the dominant Australian Matt Wearn, Beckett needed to finish four places ahead of Peru’s Stefano Peschiera in the double points medal race. This seemed certain as he was in second place at the third of four “mark” buoys, with his rival trailing far behind.
However, with just minutes remaining and Beckett on course for the podium, the judges abandoned the race due to shifting winds. When they resumed an hour later on a different course off Marseille harbour, Beckett’s fortunes took a turn for the worse as he was forced to perform three penalty 360-degree turns.
The first penalty came right at the start, with Beckett penalised for “rocking” – moving the boat too much from side to side to gain speed.
By the first mark, Beckett had climbed to sixth place, two spots ahead of the Peruvian in the race but one point behind in the overall standings. Yet another penalty on the downwind run to the second mark temporarily evened things out as Peschiera was also penalised.
A final penalty on the approach to the last mark caused Beckett to drop to the back of the fleet, ending up in sixth place overall, with no chance to recover as Peschiera secured the bronze.
Micky said: “We did about 90 percent of the race and then the breeze died right at the last bit. In that race I was coming second and I’d have got the bronze medal and it was all looking pretty good. Then obviously to have that taken away was pretty tough. But I was like, this is sport, this is sailing in particular. This does happen. Reset.”
He added: “I think in the last three years I’ve been penalized [for it] once and in that last race I got penalized twice for it, so that’s something to think about in the future.
“That just kind of spat me out the back of the fleet and then I was in a position where I couldn’t really get back into it.”
The BBC’s commentary team described it as “heartbreaking to watch” as Beckett’s medal chances slipped away, leaving fans equally distraught.
One fan commented, “Micky Beckett (Dinghy) virtually had the silver in his hands … & they stopped the race. Restart – they gave him an immediate penalty. It’s f***ing outrageous.”
Another expressed frustration, saying, “I feel sorry for Micky Beckett, man… he had a great lead in the early race before the abandonment, and then he got stuffed. I don’t see the difference in wind from before until this race… So annoying.”
EMERGENCY services were called after a car crashed into a house on Nun Street in St Davids on Thursday (Apr 24).
Dyfed-Powys Police and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene at around 4:35pm following reports of a single-vehicle collision.
On arrival, they found that a car had collided with a residential property. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The road remained open while the vehicle was recovered.
A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police said: “Dyfed-Powys Police attended a report of a single-vehicle road traffic collision where a car collided with a property on Nun Street, St Davids, at around 4:35pm yesterday. No injuries were reported, and the road remained open while the vehicle was recovered.”
POLICE are appealing for information to help locate a 54-year-old man who has been reported missing from the Milford Haven area.
Neil is described as being around 6ft 2in tall with a shaved head. He has tattoos on his arms and one of his fingers, and sometimes wears glasses.
He was last seen on Friday afternoon (Apr 26) wearing a black Superdry hoodie, ripped jeans, and orange and black Nike Air trainers. Neil is believed to be on foot.
Anyone with information that could help is urged to contact Dyfed-Powys Police: 
| Online portal
| 101@dyfed-powys.police.uk
| Call 101, quoting reference 262 of April 26.
Wales joins UK’s largest firefighting aid convoy
MID and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) has taken part in the UK’s largest ever convoy delivering vital firefighting equipment to Ukraine, joining 17 other Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) from across the country.
The convoy, coordinated by FIRE AID and supported by the UK Government, left the UK in early April. It travelled through France, Germany and Poland, delivering over 30 fire service vehicles and more than 15,000 items of equipment to support Ukrainian firefighters on the front line of the ongoing war.
Since the Russian invasion in 2022, UK fire services have donated 119 vehicles and over 200,000 pieces of equipment to Ukraine. Each participating service ensured local needs were met before donating surplus kit.
Watch Manager Rob Kershaw represented MAWWFRS on the convoy. He said:
“It’s been a privilege to be part of this convoy and to represent both FIRE AID and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
We received invaluable support and assistance from fire and police services across every country we passed through. Their help in coordinating, escorting, and hosting the convoy was outstanding.”
Chief Fire Officer Roger Thomas KFSM added:
“MAWWFRS is proud to support our colleagues in Ukraine by donating and delivering essential equipment.
The events in Ukraine have deeply affected the fire and rescue community, and this convoy is a demonstration of our ongoing commitment to helping those still working under extreme conditions.”
The donated equipment will support firefighters in Ukraine who continue to operate in war zones to save lives and protect property—often at great personal risk. Since the conflict began, 100 Ukrainian firefighters have been killed and 431 injured. A total of 411 fire stations and 1,700 firefighting vehicles have been destroyed.
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