RADCLIFFE Swimming Club mini marvels Louis Szymanski and Scott Evans made a bit of a splash in the MPAGB (Modern Piantathlon Association of Great Britain) National Triathlon Championships at Wolverhampton recently.

The 10-year-olds were both representing the North West region and both picked up medals.

The first event on Saturday was the swim, and Louis got off to a great start finishing fourth overall with a time of 38.63 for 50 metres.

Scott was just behind, finishing ninth in 41.71. Next came the shoot, and with both boys still learning the skills of shooting they both lost some ground.

The final event on Sunday was the run, and Scott lead all the way and won by 13 seconds. Not far behind was Louis, who finished fourth.

When the final scores were all added up, Louis finished in 10th, picking up a medal at the North West Team, won this age group, and Scott finished 11th picking up a medal for the fastest run.

The day had not finished for Louis. He was joined by brother Lee, and a return journey up the M66 saw them both take part in the 'other' triathlon, this time at Stretford Sports Centre.

Swopping his gun for a bike proved a good move, and an excellent swim saw Louis first out of the water, but trouble putting on his shoes saw him lose time on the transition.

He worked his way back on his bike and run, and finished in second place. A very successful weekend for young Louis.

In the 13-14 age group, Lee swam well and a fast ride and a good run saw him finish in third place. All three were back on the medal trail at Warrington on Sunday, June 3, competing at The North of England Summer Biathlon and Triathlon Championships.

They were joined by two other Radcliffe swimmers, Scott's sister, Laura Evans, and Michael Thomasson, who was taking part in his first Biathlon/Traithlon.

Scott and Laura began the day with the run. Scott had a hard battle with Bryn Phillip from Clitheroe, but managed to hold him off, and win the run by just four seconds, with Louis close behind in third.

In the swim, Louis was second with a time of 38.9 and Scott finished sixth. Next came the dreaded shoot, and with Louis shooting a similar score to the one in Wolverhampton, and Scott shooting slightly better, in the Biathlon, Scott was second and Louis third, and in the Triathlon, Scott was fifth and Louis eighth.

In the 11/12 age group, Laura continued her rivalry with Kathy Burke from Fleetwood.

She had a good start winning the run, beating Kathy by 12 seconds.

Despite a personal best in the swim with a time of 1.20.4 for 100 metres, Laura was not able to hold off Kathy, who swam well and won the Biathlon by a narrow margin, with Laura finishing second.

In the Traithlon, the shoot proved to be Laura's weakest event and she dropped to eighth. Michael Thomasson competing in the 11/12 year group and in his first Biathlon, started well with a good solid run. In his swim, he swam 1.22.7 a personal best and finished a very creditable 11th.

Michael enjoyed his first event and will be able to complete in this age group next year as well.

Lee Szymanski, competing with boys a year older than him in the 13/14 year age group, ran well, working his way through the field after a steady start.

A good swim in 1.19.5 for 100 metres saw him maintain his position and left him in 11th place in the biathlon.

Lee, the club's best shooter, scored an excellent 44 in the shoot which maintained his position and meant he finished 11th in the triathlon.

Again, another fine performance by the Radcliffe team, who are now looking forward to the next competition, the British Biathlon (continuous run and swim) Championship at Midfield School on July 14.

This is the selection event for the World Biathlon, which will be held in Bonn, Germany in September.