MORE than 20 Dorset athletes travelled to Setubal in Portugal as part of an 80-strong Great Britain team taking part in the European Biathle Championships.

And the British squad enjoyed great success, finishing as the top team in the competition.

In the individual events the team took 11 gold, eight silver and 11 bronze medals, while in the team rcaes, in which each age group saw the top three competitors have their positions added together, the British team won nine golds and eight silvers.

From the Dorset contingent, 19 athletes finished in the top 10 throughout the various categories.

The event consisted of a run/swim/run with distances varying from 500m to 1,500m for the run and 50m to 200m in the water. The distances varied with each age group.

The age groups started at 10-and-under and went up to 60-plus in the masters category with 10 age groups in the male and female competitions. There were up to eight British athletes in each age group.

Ryan Symington bagged gold in the boys’ 10-and-under, while there was silver for Jordon Symington (boys’ 16-and-under) and George Case (boys’ 12-and-under).

There were bronze medals for Harrison Yarnold (boys’ 16-and-under), Daisy Davies (girls’ 12-and-under) and Ioan Baxter (boys’ 12-and-under).

In the team event, 18 Dorset athletes were part of the GB side in the various age groups, taking 10 team gold and eight silver.

The first race that featured Dorset athletes was the girls’ 10-and-under where Anya Evans claimed fourth and Elektra Covell fifth, enabling the British B team to claim silver and the A team gold.

In the boys’ 10-and-under, Sym-ington took the gold with Sam Cobb fifth and both were part of the gold medal team.

In the boys’ 12-and-under section, Case bagged silver and team-mate Baxter bronze as the team clinched gold.

Charlie Madden finished fifth and Freddie Nielson seventh and both were part of the B team that took silver.

In the girls’ 12-and-under race, Davies claimed a bronze medal and was part of the gold medal team.

Poppy Boyden was sixth, Portia Manson was 10th and the two girls were members of the GB B team which secured the silver medal. All of these races included a 500m run, 50m swim and another 500m run.

In the girls’ 14-and-under, where the race distances were 500m, 100m and 500m, Millie Nielson was eighth and Olivia Manson finished 13th.

The next races were the Mas-ters events where the competitors ran 1,000m, swam 100m and ran another 1,000m.

There was a strong field in this section and in the men’s 50-plus, Mick Flaherty finished ninth and was part of the silver medal team.

In the male 16-and-under events, where the competitors ran 1,000m twice and swam 200m, Symington took silver, Yarnold bronze and Bradley Sutton was fifth with the Dorset trio taking team gold for GB.

Elliot Laville also finished 16th. In the girls’ 16-and-under event, Leanne Symington claimed fourth and was part of the GB team that took gold. She will be in the same age group next year.

In the last races of the day, the distances were a 1,500m run, 200m swim and another 1,500m run.

In the men’s 18-and-under section, Mathew Cook claimed ninth and was part of the silver medal-winning team, while in the 21-and-under race, Harry Lane was fifth and part of the team that bagged gold.

Great Britain and Dorset team coach Mick Flaherty said: “This was an excellent achievement and a great opportunity for all those involved to take part at another great location and to experience a different culture.

“The athletes from Dorset did the country and county proud, performing and racing with great determination, professionalism, and giving lots of encouragement to other team members taking part.

“All the hard work put in by the athletes over the year so far, parents driving them to training and competitions, and coaches from their various swimming and running clubs has paid off.

“All the team had an outstanding championship.

“The National Championships will be the next big event for the club and that takes place at Salford Quays, Manchester.

“From this tournament the Great Britain team will be selected for the World Championships that are held in Cyprus this October.”

For further details about the club contact Mick Flaherty on 759047. The club is also looking for sponsorship for the forthcoming season, so if there is anyone interested call the number above to get in touch.