Monmouth sprinter Ryan Lee competed in the Under 20 International Athletics in Cardiff last Sunday (17th March), where the top athletes in Wales were against the best in England.

After a fantastic meeting in Birmingham two weeks ago, Ryan was selected as the second athlete for Wales to compete in a straight 400m final against the two English runners.

Ryan was under no illusions as to the task that lay ahead as the three athletes are currently ranked 1, 2 and 3 in the UK.

Ryan, after his amazing result in Birmingham, is ranked at number 15 in the UK.

The result went as to form but it was the way that Ryan finished a close fourth and only a second off the number one Welsh athlete, who was second in the race behind Clovis Asong, whose personal best is an impressive 47.45 and is the current U20 champion and number one in the UK.

Ryan also ran a great third leg in the 200m relay and recorded one of his quickest-ever 200m times.

This was the last indoor meeting for Ryan and in two weeks' time he goes to Portugal for some warm weather training in preparation for the outdoor season.

This weekend Ryan was selected to participate in the AASE program at Loughborough College, which is a sport development programme aimed at nurturing elite athletes over all athletic disciplines.

As part of the programme, Ryan will be provided with one-to-one support in nutrition, psychology, physiotherapy and strength and conditioning.

Ryan has also been allocated a mentor for the duration of the course which will last until December 2013.

The programme aims to ensure that Ryan fulfils his athletic potential and continues his transition into senior athletics.

Ryan was chosen for this programme along with one other Welsh athlete and 63 others from around the UK. The remaining sessions will take place at Bath university.

Ryan is pictured at the start of the 400m race in Cardiff.