DORSET Pentathletes bagged six gold medals at the South West Youth Aquathlon Championships at the Osprey Leisure Centre, Portland .

The race was organised by the Pentathletes and was part of the south west children/youth/junior triathlon series.

This was the fourth year this type of race has been held on the island and it was a great success with parents and spectators being able to watch the action.

The aquathlon is a continuous swim/run race with the distances starting at 150m to 750m swim, and 1,500m to 5,000m run depending on age.

The Pentathletes had 16 athletes taking part, and even though they have competed in many biathle, many of the team had not competed in an aquathlon before, which has longer distances.

The event also gave a good opportunity to compete against the triathletes.

Once again the Pentathletes showed their strength in depth, winning six out of the 12 age groups and team members taking six gold medals, four silvers and two bronze.

The first race saw two different age categories in the race.

They were Tri Star eight years, where competitors swim 50m and run 600m, and Tri Star One (girls and boys 10-and-under), which was a 150m swim followed by a 1,500m run.

In Tri Star One, the club had great success, as in the girls’ race Phoebe Mills was first in 11.06mins and Molly Northmore was second, just 10 seconds behind.

Both girls beat all the boys in this age group.

In the boys’ race, Ollie Sanderson came home second.

In the next event, the 12-and-under age group, which was a 250m swim and 2,000m run, Jed Skilton finished second in the boys’ race in 12.50mins.

The next race was the boys’ and girls’ 14-and-under, which is Tri Star Three.

This consisted of a 400m swim and a 3,000m run.

The club had some excellent results in this age group with Harrison Yarnold first in the boys race in 14.55mins.

Travis Bramley finished third, Jack Northmore was fourth, Jonathon Greenwood fifth, Jake Whittall sixth and Tom Boulton 13th.

In the girls’ race Elisabeth Hood took gold in 16.15mins, with Lucy Brain third and Flora Johnson fourth.

The last race of the day was the junior 19-and-under and youth 16-and-under race, where competitors swam 750m and ran 5,000m.

In the youth race, Victoria Halford took gold in 33.14mins after leading from start to finish.

In the junior section, Chris Perham had to work hard to claim gold in 26.27mins, while Africa Mason also came first in the girls’ race with a time of 31.37mins.

Team coach Michael Flaherty said: “Thanks go to Nigel Williams and his team at the Osprey Leisure Centre for the use of an excellent facility and venue for this event, with some very positive comments from competitors and spectators.

“It is hoped to make this a yearly event on the British Triathlon Federation calendar at an excellent and safe venue for a children’s race.

“The Dorset Pentathletes excelled in the longer distances, showing what talent we have in the local area at the multi sports events.”

For information on training, or to get involved in biathle, contact Mick Flaherty by emailing him at flaherty121@aol.com or go to the Dorset Pentathletes website at dorsetpentathletes.co.uk