Dereham biathlete Sean Watson (pictured), aged 15, secured his place in the GB squad with possibly his best performance to date at the National Biathlon Championships held at Salford on Sunday.

Dereham biathlete Sean Watson (pictured), aged 15, secured his place in the GB squad with possibly his best performance to date at the National Biathlon Championships held at Salford on Sunday.

Sean, competing in his first year as an U17, was hoping to repeat last year's performance and qualify for the World Championships to be held in Dubai.

However, knowing he was not fully race fit and having only recently resumed training following a back injury, he competed in the Cat B Boys' event which was a 1000m run, followed by a 200m open water swim, and completed by another 1000m run.

The first run saw Sean enter the first transition in eighth place and after a very strong swim he left the second transition for the final run in fifth place, with the first two athletes well ahead.

The bronze medal was decided after a sprint finish. Sean finished in fifth place and won automatic qualification for Dubai and next year's World Series.

Sean would like to thank his coaches David Pring (CoNAC), Stuart Park (Dereham Otters) and the Norfolk County Council Sports Aid for their help and support.