Natalie celebrates European Championships glory for Great Britain – successfully bringing home a gold medal
- Luxus
- 16 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Luxus’ Laboratory and Technical Manager Natalie Stones has won gold for Great Britian after competing in her first international tournament - three years after taking up archery at a competitive level.
The 27-year-old won the Mixed Traditional Team category at the European Championships in Serbia, shooting in the sport’s 3D discipline, alongside her teammate, Jed Cullen.
The week of competition took place in an alpine forest setting, with life-size animal model targets. Distances, conditions and terrain levels vary and need to be assessed for every arrow fired. Conditions for this year’s competition were particularly challenging with an unseasonal and unexpected substantial snowfall to contend with.
Natalie was first introduced to the sport on the playing fields at Saltfleetby but took some time out from pursuing her sporting ambitions to focus on A-levels, university and kickstarting a career maximising her chemistry degree with us.
At Luxus, her professional career has grown from strength to strength, alongside her sporting achievements.
Luxus backed Natalie’s journey to the finals at every step, providing support with travel and flexibility to allow her to compete at such a level. The business is also sponsoring her PhD at the University of Lincoln.
Peter Atterby, managing director, said: “We’re absolutely delighted Natalie has excelled on the European stage in her first competition at this level. It really is an incredible achievement and we’re so proud of her.
“Natalie joined Team Luxus as part of our graduate scheme six years ago, and her growth has been great to see. We can’t wait to support Natalie in her next challenge, which we’re sure will be just around the corner.”
The victory ensured a fifth-place finish for Great Britain in the final medal standings, behind Italy, Spain, Austria and Slovenia. Jed also took silver in his individual category, with Natalie finishing eighth after a very close quarter-finals match. The men’s team also took home the bronze.
Attention now turns to the World Championships in the USA next year. Natalie is part of the Archery GB 3D Squad, now working towards sending a larger team across the Atlantic.
“I am proud of what I achieved at the European Championships. I have worked very hard over the last couple of months to be as competitive as I can at this level so it’s really rewarding to have come home with a gold medal. It was an experience I’ll never forget! Huge thank you to the AGB 3D squad for helping me on this journey, and to Luxus for their support,” Natalie said.
