WRESTLING siblings Jack, Tommy and Grace claimed a golden hat-trick for the Costello family after all three won national titles at the recent British Closed Wrestling Championships.

It is not clear if their achievement is a national first, but it certainly was for Bolton Olympic Wrestling Club, where the Bromley Cross family all train.

Coach Lee Meadows said: "Winning a national title is a huge achievement for Jack, Tommy and Grace and for the club as well as we have never had three children from one family to all be crowned national champions at the same time.

"This is by no means an overnight success as all three have been competing and winning competitions for quite a few years now, but for all of them to win such a prestigious tournament on the same day is quite an impressive achievement."

Their wrestling prowess is just the tip of the iceberg for Jack, aged 11, Tommy, 10, and Grace, seven, who inherited a love of sport from their fitness fanatic parents.

Dad John gets plenty of exercise in his day job as a fireman, while mum Rachel worked in the sports department at Turton High School for 15 years before recently moving to a new job as head of sport at Canon Slade.

"We are all so heavily involved in sport that the family actually only sits down together on a Sunday teatime," she said.

"That is the rule, we always have a meal together once a week and chat about what we have been up to.

"Other than that we are all either playing sport or training from Monday to Sunday."

As well teaching sport, Rachel fits in a daily session at the gym from 6.15am and is back home before the children wake up.

She also plays rounders for Bolton League Seniors and Section A leaders Little Lever, hockey for Manchester Mantors, and netball for Smithills.

It is a case of like mother like daughter – and sons.

Jack and Tommy, who both attend Eagley Junior School, play rugby league for Westhoughton Lions and rugby union for Eccles, while Eagley Infants pupil Grace is a talented gymnast, training 16 hours a week at Bury Gymnastics Club, and a budding athlete, winning Bolton Ironkids for three years on the run before relinquishing her title this year after stepping up to an older age group.

"We were obviously really proud to see them all standing on the wrestling podium," she said.

"It is a feeling, as a parent, that is hard to explain.

"But in many ways sporting achievement is not the real focus for us, as a mum and dad.

"We are not raising them to be good at sport, we are raising them to be good people.

"Sport teaches them so much about life.

"What really makes us proud is to see all the hard work they have put into training.

"That is something that has really clicked for them all recently.

"They have seen how dedicated they have to be to achieve success and now all of that hard work has paid off.

"That realisation is something they can take into every part of their life, whether that be in other sports, their schoolwork or their future careers."