Shropshire teen bags gold for Great Britain

The 16-year-old led a four-man British team to gold in the World Biathle Championships, in Guatemala.

He also won an individual silver medal for finishing second in the under-17 race.

Biathle is an off-shoot of modern pentathlon. The world championships included a 1,000m run and 200m open water swim followed by a second 1,000m swim.

Griffiths, a pupil at William Brookes School in Much Wenlock, delivered a double medal swoop in his first international competition, building on the talent he showed on home soil by winning the National Schools Biathlon, at London's Olympic Park in April, and the Wenlock Olympian Triathlon in July.

"It was a surreal experience, a real step up in competition from what I've done before," said Griffiths.

"It was 37C and 60 per cent plus humidity, so it was very, very tough – but a great experience."

Griffiths trains with Northgate Swimming Club in Bridgnorth and Much Wenlock under the guidance of head coach D Davidson, and his running training is with experienced coach Colin Lancaster in Shrewsbury.

He added: "There is not really anywhere else to go in biathle, so I will be concentrating on triathlons from now on."

Griffiths was winning the under-17 race, at the Puerto San Jose Naval Academy in Escuintla, until the closing stages when he was overhauled by Egypt's Sherif Rashad.

Britain clinched the team gold by four seconds, from second-placed Georgia, with hosts Guatemala, in third.

His place in the World Biathle Championships – entry fees, flights and accommodation – was entirely self-funded.

Griffiths is now looking for sponsorship to allow him to continue to progress up the GB triathlon ladder.

Sponsors can contact his mother, Nicky, by emailing nicky.griffiths@aol.co.uk