AN athlete has been selected for Great Britain in a new sport - despite never having taken part in the event before.

Michael Turnbull, 17, from Newton Aycliffe is hoping to find sponsors for his trip to the international biathle event in South Africa in April.

Biathle consists of a run, followed by a swim, then another run, without a break between disciplines.

Michael, who attends Queen Elizabeth Sixth-Form College in Darlington, has been competing successfully in more established biathlon and triathlon competitions for the past few of years.

On Sunday, he finished second at the British Schools Biathlon Championships, in Rugby, just a couple of points behind the winner.

He was selected for the biathle championships on the basis of his recent results in other competitions.

Michael is confident of doing well in the South African event, which consists of a 1,500m run, a 200m sea swim and another 1,500m run.

"My aim is to perform as well as I can and depending on how I do, there could be a possibility of representing Great Britain at the World Championships in Germany in September," he said.

Michael has to pay his own way to South Africa. He is using some of his own savings, but is hoping a local company can help him out with sponsorship.

Anyone interested in sponsoring Michael can contact him on (01325) 319672