THE National Biathle Championship proved a happy hunting ground for three Basingstoke athletes as Maddie Deadman won gold, Bradley Sutton silver and Rebecca Poole bronze.

The event, held at Salford Quays and organised by Great Britain Pentathlon, saw each athlete take part in a run followed by a swim and then another run.

Basingstoke’s Deadman and Poole took part in the under-15 girls’ category and were up against 21 competitors from across the country.

Both performed superbly well and Deadman, after a strong initial run and swim, held on to take gold.

Poole also did well in the first run and worked hard in the swim before moving up from fourth to take the bronze by the finish.

Both girls are members of Basingstoke and Mid Hants Athletic Club, while Deadman also trains with the Basingstoke Bluefins. Poole swims with the Wessex Wyverns Pentathlon Club.

Hatch Warren’s Sutton continued his fine form this summer with a second place in the under-17 boys category at the National Biathle Championship in Salford Quays.

This guaranteed the 16-year-old his place on the flight to the World Championships in Guatemala in October.

Sutton is still looking to add to his World Tour and European Titles this year for continuous 1,000m run, 200m swim and 1,000m run.

The Brighton Hill Community School pupil will next be in action at the South East Pentathlon later this month in Kent.