Gainsborough youngsters take schools biathlon event by storm

A team of 12 pupils, supported by staff and parents, from Parish Church Primary School descended on York University for the running and swimming event.

The running races were over 400m for the younger children and 800m for the older ones, while the swimming races were over 25m or 50m.

So well did Parish do that three of their competitors, Ryan Anderson, Max Kwant and Travis Bartle, were selected to take part in the British Biathlon Championships in Nottingham later this month.

Max said: “We had been training really hard and although we were a bit nervous, it was fun to do.

“My sister did it last year and gave me some tips. It was great to run on a real running track. It felt as if it made you run faster.”

Parish’s U9 boys won their team event, with three boys in the top six, while the U10 boys finished fourth and the U11 boys were third. There were also strong performances from the school’s girls.

Trainer and coach John Anderson said: “The children fully deserved to do so well. All those lunchtimes running around Levellings field and all that hard work in school swimming lessons has paid off.

“It’s great to see Parish children again excelling at sports, and makes us feel very proud. It is testament to their determination to do their best in everything they do.”

Just for good measure, Anderson himself won the male masters category at York and has qualified for the British finals in Nottingham as well.

This follows his success in a biathlon event at Florida, where he finished sixth and helped the British team win a silver medal in the over-40s’ age category.