All over the country they are having to do a double-take as they face rivalry from a pair of identical twins.

Many times the athletes will not know whether they have been beaten by 13-year-old Natasha Turnbull or her 17 minutes younger sibling Samantha.

The pair, from Peebles, are climbing the ranks in tandem in running events, taking turns to win or fill one of the places.

Last year, the girls’ first full year of running, their shared winnings amounted to £309. In the current year it was £650.

Proud parents Neil and Shirley are hoping that Natasha and Samantha will improve even further in years to come.

Dad Neil, a former leading 200m runner, is using his experience to coach the Peebles High School pupils.

“You hear of lots of brothers and sisters doing well in sport but it’s rare I think for it to be identical twins that are so good,” said Neil, who in his day competed with the likes of Linford Christie.

“I am delighted for them and they are getting better. There is not a lot to choose between them. Last year Natasha came out best and this year it was Samantha’s turn.

“But I wouldn’t like to say who is the best as I might get into trouble!

“They both want to win but Samantha wouldn’t be too bothered if her sister finished ahead of her. If it was the other way round, though, Natasha would be most upset.

“It shows that Natasha is very competitive and there’s nothing wrong with that. You need to be like that if you are going to do well.

“I think she gets a lot of that from me as I was like that and hated it when my friends beat me.

“It’s not often that the girls are in the same race - they usually only meet in finals - and Natasha will always cheer on her sister and give encouragement when she’s watching her.

“The girls share all the same interests and even have the same friends.” Neil will ensure his daughters do not slack in their ambition to become even better runners.

“They are enthusiastic and understand the sacrifices that have to be made,” he said.

“They know that they have to continue their training even on a cold, wet winter night.

“Even Usain Bolt has to do this sort of stuff.

“We have to balance all of it with their schoolwork but they want to progress at their running - their goals are to become quicker and better.”