Teenager Lucy Beardsmore has explained how the friendships she has made off the track have helped her perform on it.
Beardsmore came away with a glut of medals from last month’s European Biathle Championships.
Held in Madeira, Portugal, the 15-year-old Newark Academy pupil improved massively on last year’s 12th-placed finish as she returned with two golds, from the under-17 mixed relay with Noah Spruce and team gold, alongside an individual silver.
“As we’re from all over the country, you do get to meet lots of different people,” explained Beardsmore, who was the second GB athlete over the line.
“It kind of helps to calm you before the race. You know that they are your friends and they will support you throughout whatever you do.
“It was really unexpected. I went in as fifth GB so, to come out second GB and second in Europe, that was amazing.
“Also in the mixed relay, my team-mate (Spruce) helped us to win by more than 30 seconds, which was just amazing.”
Sharing her European glory with GB team-mates felt particularly special for Beardsmore, coming home victorious with Spruce.
“It was good,” she said. “I was the first person in the mixed relay.
“He then just created the gap. It was incredible when he got over the line.
“For the team relay, we’re all friends. It was so nice I could go on the podium with them.”
With Lucy and her family heading out to Portugal for the best part of a week in the build-up to her events, she revealed – although that had been helpful – the weather would have been tougher for them at home than where she was competing.
She said: “It was actually hotter in England than it was over there! But it was quite a bit warmer than it had been the week before.
“The training days definitely helped to acclimatise.”
It meant all of Beardsmore’s preparations in the build-up to the competition had been worthwhile.
She added: “I swim six times a week.
“Including running, I do 15 hours in a week so I swim six days a week and run on three or four days of a week.”
Mum Becky, who works as a teacher at Lucy’s school, added: “It was another unbelievable event for her.
“She surpassed where she has been again. We went out for a whole week – Saturday to Friday – and they had two training days prior to the competition where they acclimatised to the surroundings and the race course.
“We did that with the GB coaches.
“I was speaking to Noah’s mum after the (mixed) relay at the medal ceremony and it turned out, beforehand, that both of them were saying, ‘We could probably win this’.
“It was done with the under-19s so they were not racing each other, but they were racing at the same time. He overtook some of the under-19s!
“He did an amazing job so they were first under-17s – and came third in the under-19s category.”
Lucy hopes to again be in action at this month’s British Triathlon Super Series competition before a Madeira return.
“I do triathlons,” she said. “I’ve got the British Super Series at the end of July and then the Worlds in August.
“That will be back in Madeira and my friends are going to that.”