ATHLETES from a North-East kettlebell club have returned from the European Championships in Germany with a bunch of medals.
Four competitors from the Tu Nova Kettlebell Club in Darlington flew to Stolberg last weekend and returned with nine medals, including three golds.
Coach Steve Gordon took the team which also consisted of Charlotte Welton and Joanne Tonkin from Darlington and Simon Trenholm from Stockton to compete against 260 athletes .
Charlotte won a total of three medals which consisted of gold in biathlon, a silver in jerk and bronze in snatch, whilst Joanne won bronze in snatch in the professional category and gold in long cycle in the vets category.
Simon took gold in the long cycle vets category and Steve won bronze in the jerk, snatch and biathlon professional categories.
Kettlebell lifting is a form of endurance weightlifting that originated from Russia and involves competitors doing dozens of reps and lifts.
The team were up against tough competition from athletes representing 12 countries including very strong teams from Russia, Ukraine and the hosts.
Mr Gordon said: "From these amazing experiences and triumphs, I hope we can encourage our junior athletes and beginners to join us in the future.
"There are so many opportunities available to our club members and with some hard work and determination, I know we will be seeing them flying the flag very soon.”
The club has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 2011 boasting nearly 50 members across three teams and seven classes every week . The club is also no stranger to hosting competitions and welcoming competitors from all over the world to Darlington.
The club intends to further promote the sport and events to the region by hosting The North East Kettlebell Sport open on Saturday, July 20 in Darlington so far already attracting athletes from as far afield as Australia.
Fourteen-year-old kettlebell athlete Adam Tonkin, son of Joanne, is hoping to join the team when they travel to compete in The Youth Championships and World Cup in Paris on June 28 to represent England.
The Hurworth school pupil is crowdfunding to raise £500 to pay for funds for the trip.
To support him, visit www.gofundme.com/youth-european-championships-in-paris.
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