Members of Bolton Olympic Wrestling Academy did the club proud with a haul of medals at the national championships in Manchester.

Competitors young and old made the podium at the British Wrestling Championships which saw more than 500 individual entries from across the country attend the Etihad Campus for the leading British freestyle wrestling event.

Junior Mollie Tennant won a bronze medal, while it was a family affair for the Kiplings as club coach, Paul, picked up a silver medal in the 82kg senior freestyle veterans’ category before daughters Mia and Megan, who represent Great Britain at international level, won gold in their respected categories.

Fourteen-year-old Mia won the British Junior title at 53kg and Megan, aged 17, scooped the Senior female title at 50kg.

At senior level, coach Mack Chambers led the charge in the Greco-Roman and Freestyle category, earning a bronze medal along the way for the team.

Cesare Giombetti, Kris Ray, and Lee Simpson followed suit with impressive performances that culminated with Simpson winning gold in the 95kg senior veterans’ category.

When it came to the main event at the championships, the team did not shy away from success with impressive results in the women’s freestyle - Megan Kipling becoming national senior champion and Nicola Simpson winning silver at 57kg.

In the men’s freestyle, Gasan Adilkhanov won bronze at 61kg, Mack Chambers won bronze at 65kg, Adam Berry won the national title at 97kg, and Lee Simpson placed fifth after two hard days of competition, with another impressive performance from Ethan Ingman, at 79kg, in his first national tournament.

Club coach, Lee Meadows, said: “It was an amazing experience for our young athletes Mollie Tennent, Millie Miles, Alexander Raby, Bobby Miles and Frankie Healey who thoroughly enjoyed the competition.

“Mollie came away from the tournament with an impressive bronze medal which is a testament to the junior teams’ hard work and dedication given that all of these young athletes have only been involved in the sport for a short period of time.

“We also pride ourselves as an academy, on creating a safe, inclusive and community environment and the Kipling family were testament to this ethos with Paul Kipling and his two daughters enjoying success.”

The academy also hosted athletes from Europe at the event and accommodated them for the duration of the tournament to enable them to compete.

Academy chairman, Jack Holt, who recently received a British Empire Medal from King Charles III, said: “It was an honour to host our great friends who represented Olympia Utrecht, in Holland, this weekend at the British Wrestling Championships.

“They achieved amazing results themselves in the Greco-Roman and Freestyle events and we wish a safe journey home to Leon Van Os, Joelle Balkema, Olaf Stam, Jonathan Sosa, Wesley Baard, Rick Zuurhout, Ben Joghi and Fielou van der Bruggen.”

Meadows added: “These results are a great way of celebrating the diversity of sport in Bolton and everyone at the academy is very proud of all of our athletes and their individual achievements.”