THERE was medal joy stateside for Redditch siblings Lucy and Natalie Hatfield as they starred for Great Britain at the Biathle World Championships in Florida.
Joined by her parents and sister Natalie, Lucy headed to America to compete in the under 11s Youth E category running and swimming competition having qualified by finishing second in her age group at an event in Sale, on the back of her individual silver and team gold medal at the European Biathle Championships in July.
Cheered on by her family on the world stage, Lucy won a bronze medal in the mixed relay and finished eighth in the individual competition in the Elite category.
However, the success did not end there for the family as Natalie discovered she was able to compete in the Open under 15 event and she rose to the challenge to win gold.
The girls’ mum Sally told the Standard: “It’s been a very rewarding trip for the family and the girls are thrilled to have returned with medals from the World Championships.
“It was a welcome surprise for Natalie to be able to compete and for them both to bring medals home is an excellent achievement by each of them.
“It’s lovely for them to have medals to show to their family and friends at school.”
The sisters will now turn their attentions to cross-country competitions during the winter season and will also be in action in the British Modern Biathlon Championships this month and British Schools’ Modern Biathlon Championships in March.