October 2014 Archivist Update

Bath Archive

There have been impressive developments at the archive in recent months. In addition to Lizzie Richmond’s curating of the archive, an additional archivist, Adrian Nardone, is working specifically on the pentathlon archive two days a week. It is his aim that, by the time of the European Championships at Bath (August 2015):

(a) the archive will be catalogued and there will be online access to it;

(b) there will be an exhibition celebrating Modern Pentathlon at the University library.

The Pentathlon GB office continues to transfer materials to the archive on an occasional basis and I hope to visit more regularly during the coming year in order to assist Adrian in identifying material. Papers at Bath are all stored in professional archive conditions and there is space for visiting researchers. Anyone wishing to make a visit should contact Lizzie Richmond (liser@bath.ac.uk) although, if specific details are sought, it would be best to contact me first at archibaldandy@gmail.com.

Archive Website

The website www.andyarchibald.com is devoted entirely to providing pentathlon photos as well as new and historical articles. The website is regularly visited by many people and I have been able to provide information and material for both archival and personal requests from Spain, Austria and the USA as well as in GB in the past year.

There are now many thousands of documents and photographs stored as computer files, including all recent significant items appearing on the UIPM and Pentathlon GB websites. It is, therefore, possible to supply information /photographs promptly for any e mail enquiry.

Obituaries

One useful function for the archive is to provide obituaries for recently deceased pentathletes and administrators to websites and other publications. In the past year, an obituary has been provided for John Majendie, Hon. Sec. of the MPAGB 1960s.

Reunion proposal

At a meeting in September, Martin Dawe proposed a reunion of former pentathletes to coincide with the European Championship in Bath 2015. Preparations for such a reunion would also establish an up-to-date list of contact details to be available to Pentathlon GB. It was also proposed that such a reunion might assist Pentathlon GB by increasing MPAGB membership.

Advertising

There is good communication between the Pentathlon GB office and the archive at Bath. We are always grateful for any submissions to the archive at all (programmes, photos, result sheets etc), no matter how recent. All enquiries about the archive should be made, in the first case, to archibaldandy@gmail.com

A 30 strong British team of Biathletes embarked on the demanding journey to Central America and faced the 36 deg C heat and 60%+ humidity of Guatemala's  Pacific Coast.

Fifteen countries were represented including newcomers Japan. South Africa, Egypt and hosts Guatemala had strong teams and next years World Championship Hosts Georgia were also present.

GB's team was not up to their usual numbers due to a combination of high costs and safety fears. The cost of attending was indeed high but fears over safety were allayed by the LOC who maintained excellent safe transfers and very good safe accommodation.

Competition day arrived with clear skies and no sign of the seasonal thunderstorms which plague this area at this time of year. The exceptionally hot and humid condition, as was to be seen suited the locals, South Africans and Egyptians better than they did the British athletes.

First up for GB were the Youth E Girls with Poppy Clark and Olivia Heron who both managed well to finish in 4th and 6th respectively with times of 4 mins 52 secs and 4 mins 54 secs. Egypt taking gold and RSA taking silver and bronze.

The Youth D Boys provided GB with the team's fist medal courtesy of Jack Goodman who finished third behind two Egyptians in a time of 4mins 14 secs. Aurelio Calipa and Josh Dreelan finished 4th and 5th in 4:17 and 4:33 to ensure the team gold for GB.

The Youths D Girls Race saw another GB team win courtesy of Saoirse McClure-Fisher 4th (4:22), Sophie Mabbs 7th (4:34) and Rebecca Wren 8th (4:37) in a race dominated again by RSA and Egypt.

The Youths C Girls was won by Japan with Daisy Anderson again agonisingly close to the medals in 4th place in 5 mins 39 secs and with Alannah Mabbs 7th (5:51) and Jessica Sutton 12th (6:30) took another gold team win for the GB.

The Youth B Boys race was a much closer affair with Matthew Griffiths leading into the dubiously long swim but a slight error on the final leg of the swim meant a he had to settle for a very well deserved Silver medal behind an Egyptian in a time of 9 mins 24 secs. He was closely followed by Jonathan Chatten who collected bronze in a time of 9 mins 29. Bradley Sutton who was 4th (9:35) completed another gold winning team. Sam Matthews 8th 10:14), Chris Luff 10th (10:24), Michael Sallis 11th (10:25) Elliott Lavile 12th (10:27) and Charlie Goriup 14th (10:43) completed the team.

GB were represented by India Cooper and Olivia Lowe in the Youth B Girls race and they finished in 5th (11:17) and 7th (11:50) in a race dominated by the Russians.

Greece took their only gold medal in the Youth  A Boys race in which our sole representative was Alexander Allen who finished in 8th place in 12mins 31secs. Unfortunately for all the 1500 metres run courses the local organisers forgot to completely change the course from the previous 1000 metes resulting in some quick time despite the rather long swim.

The Junior and Senior races were run together and provided the GB team with more medals. Hannah Parkinson took bronze in the Junior race in a time of 13 mins 38 secs. Rachel Jones claimed silver in the senior race in a time of 13 mins 09 secs  with Kathy Wellam bronze in 14 mins 06secs.

James Greenwell continued his improvement in the Masters A race with a fine silver in 8 mins 54 secs, Steve Luff gained (9:49) a bronze in the Master B race and Peter Collett (12:10) a silver in the Masters D Races but pride of place and two gold medals went to Barbara Holmes (10:19) Master B and Mary Collett (12:36) Master C.

So the provisional final table reads:

Registration is now closed

Modern pentathlon world champion Samantha Murray has been named on the shortlist for the September Sky Sports Sportswoman of the Month award.

Her nomination follows Samantha’s success in winning the individual gold medal at the world championships in Warsaw last month, when she also helped the British women’s team to team silver.
 
She became only the fourth British woman to win the individual modern pentathlon world crown in a sport that sees athletes tackle fencing, swimming, show jumping and then a run/shoot, all in one day.
 
Samantha features on a shortlist of six athletes along with cyclist Manon Carpenter, golfer Trish Johnson, footballer Kim Little, hurdler Tiffany Porter and wheelchair tennis player Jordanne Whiley.

Samantha said: "It's an honour to be nominated for the Sky Sports Sportswoman of the Month award. My victory at the world championships was a huge milestone for me as an athlete. I wanted to put our sport in the spotlight after so many athletes did us proud at the Commonwealth Games this summer.

"It was a great achievement and it has given me lots of confidence in my training as I gear up and prepare for Olympic qualification for Rio."
 
The winner is determined by a public vote via the Sky Sports Sportswomen website and you can vote for Samantha at http://www1.skysports.com/watch/tv-shows/sportswomen
 
The poll closes at midnight on Sunday 5 October and the winner will be announced on the Sky Sports Sportswomen Show on Tuesday 7 October.
 
Samantha became only Britain’s fourth individual woman modern pentathlon world champion following in the footsteps of Wendy Norman (1982), Steph Cook (2001) and Mhairi Spence (2012).
 
Her individual gold at the world championships in Warsaw followed a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games and an individual bronze at the 2012 world championships in Rome.
 
Samantha is originally from Clitheroe in Lancashire and now lives and trains in Bath.  She is based at Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre at the University of Bath and she graduated from the University with a French and Politics degree last year.
 
For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or at press@matchtight.co.uk
 
You can also find more information about Pentathlon GB at www.pentathlongb.org by liking us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PentathlonGB or following us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
 
Notes for editors
 
 
·      Pentathlon GB is the national governing body for the Olympic sport   of modern pentathlon.
·      Modern pentathlon sees athletes compete in five disciplines – fencing swimming, riding and a run/shoot – all in one day.
·      Britain’s pentathletes have been successful at the highest level, winning medals at the last four Olympic Games. Steph Cook and Kate Allenby won gold and bronze respectively at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Heather Fell won silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and Samantha Murray won silver at London 2012.
·      Pentathlon GB receives National Lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England. You can find out more about UK Sport at www.uksport.gov.uk and about Sport England at www.sportengland.org

Today is the final day of registration for the World Modern Pentathlon Coaches Conference 7th 10th November 2014.

Complete the online registration form at www.wmpcc.org

Pentathlon GB is pleased to announce the appointment of Nigel Laughton as its new Chief Executive Officer.
 
Nigel, who has 17 years’ experience working in elite sport, joins Pentathlon GB - the National Governing Body (NGB) for the Olympic sport of Modern Pentathlon - on 03 November 2014.
 
He comes to Pentathlon GB after three years as Performance Director of British Skeleton, the NGB of the winter sport of Skeleton.  That role included working as Team GB’s Team Leader for Skeleton at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, where Britain’s Lizzy Yarnold struck gold.
 
Nigel’s extensive experience in the world of sport has included roles as European Development Manager for the International Cricket Council, National Academy Manager of the England and Wales Cricket Board and three seasons as Rugby Operations Director at Bath Rugby.
 
Before joining British Skeleton he played a pivotal role in the setting up and running of the 2009 inaugural cricket Champions League T20 tournament in India, was a director for the Indian Premier League and managed the 2011 Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh.
 
After leaving school, Nigel joined the British Army and served for nine years in The Black Watch and flew helicopters.  He also has a degree from Oxford University.
 
Nigel joins Pentathlon GB at an exciting time with less than two years until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
 
Great Britain hosts the 2015 European Championships at the University of Bath next August – one of the main opportunities for British pentathletes to qualify for Rio.
 
Nigel said: “I am honoured to have been offered this incredible opportunity to lead Pentathlon GB in the lead-up to Rio 2016 and beyond.  I look forward to working with both the development and performance staff, in Bath and across Great Britain, to fulfil the ambitious strategic goals of the association.
 
“With an Olympic qualifying championship in Bath next summer, we have a great chance to showcase the facilities at the University of Bath, which is home to our National Training Centre, and for our athletes to perform on home soil in front of big audiences and crowds,” he added. “Building on the Olympic medal successes since 2000 and continued support from UK Sport, Sport England, Home Nations, other partners and sponsors, Pentathlon GB is a very exciting organisation to be joining.“
 
Anthony Temple QC, Chairman of Pentathlon GB, said: "We are delighted to announce the appointment of Nigel Laughton as our new Chief Executive Officer. Nigel's track record is impressive.  
 
“He joins us at an exciting time for Pentathlon GB and for the sport of modern pentathlon. I am sure he will build on our recent achievements and take Pentathlon GB forward with confidence as we grow our sport in the UK and continue to achieve international successes at all levels."
 
For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518, 07765 071683 or by email at press@matchtight.co.uk

Would all coaches/officials and members of staff attending the World Modern Pentathlon Coaches Conference 7 - 10 November 2015 at the Manchester Conference Centre please complete the online registration form at www.wmpcc.org

You cannot be accredited for the conference without registering. Deadline 30th September 2015

The 2014 AGM will be taking place at 1500 on 11 October 2014 at the National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Milton Keynes, MK8 9LA.  You can find the Calling Notice here.

Please e-mail eleanor.guest@pentathlongb.org if you would like to attend.

The AASE (Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence) application form is now available here.  

If you want to know more about the Academy or AASE check out this page or contact Bernie Moss - bernie.moss@pentathlongb.org

The British team ended their Modern Pentathlon World Championships campaign on a high note by winning silver in the mixed relay in Warsaw today (Sunday).
 
Kate French and Joe Evans competed well throughout the day and were just edged out of gold by the powerful Lithuanian pair of London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Laura Asadauskaite and 2013 world champion Justinas Kinderis.
 
It means the Pentathlon GB team will return home with three medals – a gold and two silvers.
 
Samantha Murray became the 2014 modern pentathlon world champion when she won the individual gold medal on Friday, with Murray, French and Freyja Prentice joining forces to win the women’s team silver the same day.
 
Pentathlon GB Performance Director Jan Bartu said: “They did a fantastic job today and it was an absolutely invaluable experience for both of them. I was delighted for them both.
 
“When you’re going head to head against an Olympic champion and a former world champion, people who have medalled so many times you can’t remember them all, it brings a different dynamic into play.”
 
And he said he was happy with the team’s performances across the championships. “This is a fantastic step on the path to Rio," he said. "It’s important for the athletes and coaches to understand where we are and what we’re capable of. These championships have given us the hope that we’re heading in the direction.”
 
French, aged 23, who collected her second silver of the championships today, said: “It been an amazing day. We had a good day all round and we’re really pleased.”
 
Evans, who celebrated his 21st birthday on Friday, said: “It was a brilliant race with Kinderis at the end, I really enjoyed it. I was a bit disappointed with my fourth shoot, but I was really pleased with my performances today.
 
“We’ve got a really strong team,” he added. “It’s fantastic to be training in Bath with everyone else and hopefully we can bring more results through in the future.”
 
French and Evans started well, winning 27 and losing 11 of their fencing contests, a performance that was only bettered by one win by the Asadauskaite and Kinderis. It means the British pairing netted 250 fencing points, trailing the Lithuanians by six points.
 
Evans produced a terrific swim in the second leg of the 2x100m freestyle swim to push the Pentathlon GB pair to the top of the leader board. The pair’s time of 1:54.56 was the third fastest of the day behind Hungary and France, and was worth 357 pentathlon points.
 
The British team went into the ride with 607 points and a slender four-point advantage over Lithuania.
 
Kinderis had two fences down in the riding arena and Asadauskaite went clear, which means the Lithuanian team dropped 14 points from the maximum 300.
 
French and Evans both went clear to take the full 300 points, so they went into the combined event with an 18-second lead over the Lithuanians.
 
French held off Asadauskaite in her two shoots and 800m runs to hand over to Evans with a slight advantage. Evans and Kinderis ran neck-and-neck for the first 800m, but the Lithuanian overtook the young Briton in the fourth and final shoot.
 
Evans gave it everything in the final run and ended up with a hard-earned silver. The British pair clocked a combined event time of 11:32.98 to make sure of their silver medal and came home just three seconds behind the gold medallists.
 
The British team are based at the Pentathlon GB National Training Centre at the University of Bath.
 
Mixed relay results
Gold: Laura Asadauskaite & Justinas Kinderis (LTU) – 1518 points
Silver: Kate French & Joe Evans (GBR)  - 1515 points
Bronze: Oktawia Nowacka & Szymon Staskiericz (POL) – 1504 points
 
 
Pentathlon GB team for World Championships
 
Women’s individual
(* scores count towards team event)
Kate French * – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
Mhairi Spence – 31.08.85, Farr, near Inverness – Bath
Freyja Prentice *  – 20.05.90, – Inverurie near Aberdeen - Bath
Samantha Murray *  – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s individual
(* scores count towards team event)
Joe Choong – 23.05.95, Orpington - Bath
Jamie Cooke * - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Sam Curry * - 03.09.93, Salfords, Surrey - Bath
Joe Evans * - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
 
Women’s relay
Alice Fitton  - 05.08.94 from Atherton, Greater Manchester - lives Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s relay
Jamie Cooke - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, North East London - Bath
 
Mixed relay
Joe Evans - 05.09.93, Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
 
World Championships schedule
 
Monday 1 September: women’s relay
Tuesday 2 September: men’s relay
Wednesday 3 September: women’s semi-finals
Thursday 4 September: men’s semi-finals
Friday 5 September: women’s final (including team event)
Saturday 6 September: men’s final (including team event)
Sunday 7 September: mixed relay
 
For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or at press@matchtight.co.uk
 
You can also find more information about Pentathlon GB at www.pentathlongb.org buy liking us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PentathlonGB or following us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
 
Notes for editors
 
 
·      Pentathlon GB is the national governing body for the Olympic sport   of modern pentathlon.
·      Modern pentathlon sees athletes compete in five disciplines – fencing swimming, riding and a run/shoot – all in one day.
·      Britain’s pentathletes have been successful at the highest level, winning medals at the last four Olympic Games. Steph Cook and Kate Allenby won gold and bronze respectively at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Heather Fell won silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and Samantha Murray won silver at London 2012.
·      Pentathlon GB receives National Lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England. You can find out more about UK Sport at www.uksport.gov.uk and about Sport England at www.sportengland.org

Photo courtesy @NickHopeBBC

Britain’s young pentathletes produced solid performances but couldn’t add to the team’s medal haul at the Modern Pentathlon World Championships in Poland today (Saturday).
 
Nineteen-year-old Joe Choong, competing at only his second senior international event, was the highest placed British finisher in 16th in today’s final in Warsaw.
 
And 23-year-old Jamie Cooke, Britain’s 2011 world junior champion, came home in 20th.

Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: "It was a good day for us. It's a big championships and a lot of good things happened for us today, especially when you consider that Jamie (Cooke) is the oldest guy in the men's team and he is only 23.

"Joe (Choong) is clearly very talented and he is coming through very quickly. A top-16 finish at a World Championships is a really significant result for him," he added. "His skills are really good and he needs more experience and competition exposure to maximise his potential.

"Jamie expected a little more today. He had to run flat out in the semis to qualify for the final today and there wasn't enough left. There is still a long way to go till the Games and he now has his winter preparation coming up."
 
Cooke started the better, winning 15 of his 35 fencing bouts to earn 190 pentathlon points for joint 25th. Choong’s 14 victories gave him 184 points, putting him joint 27th. Russia’s Aleksander Lesun won the fence with 27 victories worth 262 points.
 
Both of the British athletes produced strong swims to climb up the leaderboard. The quickest time of the day went to Egypt’s Amro El Geziry with 1:52.31, which was worth 364 points and saw him take the overall lead.
 
Cooke was a close second in the swim. His 200m freestyle time of 1:52.95 gave him 362 points pushing him into 10th place overall. And Choong recorded the third fastest swim time of the day. His 1:54.56 added 357 points to his score, propelling him to 16th overall.
 
Choong rode a beautifully composed round to go clear within the allowed time to add the maximum 300 points to his total. He went to the combined event in 11th place, starting 79 seconds behind Amro El Geziry, who continued to lead.
 
Cooke had an early fence down and followed that up by dislodging the penultimate fence. Each error cost him seven points and he also accumulated six time penalties, so he came away from the ride with 280 points. He went into the run/shoot in 17th, 88 seconds behind the leader.
 
Choong’s combined event time of 11:11.83 was the 17th fastest and saw him end the day in 16th overall. Cooke’s 11:19.41 was 19th fastest and put him 20th overall.
 
It was world number one Lesun who went on to win gold, comfortably easing part Amro El Geziry, who hung on for silver.
 
Team gold went to Hungary. The British team weren’t going to be in the mix for the team medals today as Cooke was the only nominated team scorer to reach the final. Britain finished 12th overall in the men’s team competition.
 
Tomorrow (Sunday) sees Joe Evans and Kate French represent Great Britain in the final competition of the 2014 World Championships, the mixed relay.
 
So far the British team have won two medals, with Samantha Murray taking individual gold yesterday and partnering Kate French and Freyja Prentice to silver in the women’s team competition.
 
Men’s individual results
Gold: Aleksander Lesun (RUS) – 1534 points
Silver: Amro El Geziry (EGY) – 1520 points
Bronze:  Jan Kuf (CZE) – 1513 points
16th: Joe Choong (GBR) – 1470 points
20th: Jamie Cooke (GBR) – 1453 points
 
 
Men’s team results
Gold: Hungary (Robert Kasza, Bence Demeter & Adam Marosi) – 4462 points
Silver: France (Valentin Belaud, Valentin Prades & Christopher Patte) – 4372 points
Bronze: China (Jianli Guo, Jiahao Han & Haihang Su) - 4346 points
12th: Great Britain (Jamie Cooke, Sam Curry & Joe Evans) – 3729 points
 
 
Pentathlon GB team for World Championships
 
Women’s individual
(* scores count towards team event)
Kate French * – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
Mhairi Spence – 31.08.85, Farr, near Inverness – Bath
Freyja Prentice *  – 20.05.90, – Inverurie near Aberdeen - Bath
Samantha Murray *  – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s individual
(* scores count towards team event)
Joe Choong – 23.05.95, Orpington - Bath
Jamie Cooke * - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Sam Curry * - 03.09.93, Salfords, Surrey - Bath
Joe Evans * - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
 
Women’s relay
Alice Fitton  - 05.08.94 from Atherton, Greater Manchester - lives Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s relay
Jamie Cooke - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, North East London - Bath
 
Mixed relay (tbc)
Joe Evans - 05.09.93, Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
 
World Championships schedule
 
Monday 1 September: women’s relay
Tuesday 2 September: men’s relay
Wednesday 3 September: women’s semi-finals
Thursday 4 September: men’s semi-finals
Friday 5 September: women’s final (including team event)
Saturday 6 September: men’s final (including team event)
Sunday 7 September: mixed relay
 
For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or at press@matchtight.co.uk
 
You can also find more information about Pentathlon GB at www.pentathlongb.org buy liking us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PentathlonGB or following us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
 
Notes for editors
 
 
·      Pentathlon GB is the national governing body for the Olympic sport   of modern pentathlon.
·      Modern pentathlon sees athletes compete in five disciplines – fencing swimming, riding and a run/shoot – all in one day.
·      Britain’s pentathletes have been successful at the highest level, winning medals at the last four Olympic Games. Steph Cook and Kate Allenby won gold and bronze respectively at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Heather Fell won silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and Samantha Murray won silver at London 2012.
·      Pentathlon GB receives National Lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England. You can find out more about UK Sport at www.uksport.gov.uk and about Sport England at www.sportengland.org

Britain’s Samantha Murray is the new modern pentathlon world champion after striking gold in Warsaw today (Friday).

And there was a double celebration for the British team as she joined forces with Kate French and Freyja Prentice to secure the silver medal for Great Britain in the team competition.
 
Twenty-four-year-old Murray becomes only the fourth British woman to win individual Modern Pentathlon World Championship gold and her success today followed an individual bronze at the 2012 World Championships in Rome and silver at the London 2012 Olympics.
 
Murray’s performances today included a modern pentathlon short course world record for the 200m freestyle and she looked calm and relaxed as she climbed from third to first in the run/shoot to secure gold.
 
“It doesn’t feel real,” said Murray, who is originally from Clitheroe in Lancashire and now lives in Bath, where she trains at the Pentathlon GB National Training Centre at the University of Bath.
 
“I’ve worked so hard for this and I’ve been aiming for this competition for a while. To be able to say I’m world champion is absolutely fantastic. I dreamed of this so often and now my dream has come true.
 
“When I started to relax and smile today all the work I have put in came through. I couldn't believe how easy the combined event felt. I was really on top of it today.
 
“My coaches Istvan (Nemeth) Frici (Foldes) and Jan (Bartu) have had so much faith in me. They've given me so much support and pushed me when I needed it and my training partners have been great. I owe a massive thank you to so many people."
 
And she paid tribute to 2012 world champion Mhairi Spence, who didn't make the final today but helped Murray during her campaign. “Having someone of her experience helping me was fantastic. I owe her a huge thank you,” she said.
 
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: “It was a world class performance. It’s fantastic to see her back because it hasn’t been easy for her over the last year.
 
“She decided to go for it and this is the reward for the hard work. She showed maximum composure in the combined event today. From her first shot she was absolutely relaxed and she kept a fantastic rhythmic.
 
“It was an amazing improvement on how she was shooting last year and it's a credit to Istvan Nemeth and the coaching team, and to the English Institute of Sport team who have all contributed to this success.
 
“It was a well deserved silver medal for the team today,” he added. “They were beaten by a better team – the Chinese were almost perfect today.”
 
Murray is Britain’s fourth individual woman modern pentathlon world champion and follows in the footsteps of Wendy Norman (1982), Steph Cook (2001) and Mhairi Spence (2012).
 
Murray started her campaign today by winning 18 of her 34 fencing bouts to put her joint 14th with 208 pentathlon points. French and Prentice won 14 contests each, to start the day in joint 23rd with 184 points. Russia’s Donata Rimsaite led the field with 25 victories for 250 points.
 
Murray produced a storming swim to climb to second place on the leaderboard. Her time of 2:03.84 was a 200m freestyle modern pentathlon world record in a short course pool – smashing the record of 2:04.26 set by Hungary’s Sarolta Kovacs at the European Championships in Medway three years ago.
 
That time earned Murray 329 pentathlon points taking her total to 537 points and putting her 10 points behind Kovacs, the new overall leader.
 
French’s time of 2:16.89 was the 19th fastest of the day and added 290 points to her total, putting her 25th.  Prentice’s 2:19.40 was the 28th fastest, earning 282 points and putting her 28th overall going into the ride.
 
Murray kept up her momentum with a steady round in the riding arena. She went clear, but incurred six time penalties to add 294 points to her total. That meant she went to the combined event in third with 831 points.
 
She started 16 seconds behind Kovacs, who still led the field, and five seconds behind Rimsaite, who had moved up to second place.
 
Prentice dropped seven points from the maximum 300 available in the ride to go into the combined event in 25th, 88 seconds off the lead, while French collected 286 points in the ride to go into the run shoot in 24th, starting a second ahead of Prentice.
 
Murray looked relaxed as she set off on the run/shoot, moving past Kovacs into the lead on the second of four 800m running legs. She shot calmly and her lead never looked in doubt, and she crossed the finish line triumphantly with a huge smile on her face. Her combined event time of 12:00.6 was the second fastest of the day.
 
China’s Qian Chen came home eight seconds later to take silver, with her team-mate Wanxia Liang taking bronze, a further 19 seconds back.
 
Prentice’s produced the fifth best run/shoot of the day with a time of 12:07.73 to climb to 19th, while French’s 12:37.52 was 17th fastest and saw her finish in 26th.
 
And there was a double celebration with the performances of Murray, Prentice and French sing Great Britain take team silver behind China.
 
Tomorrow (Saturday) the men return to action in their final with Jamie Cooke and 19-year-old Joe Choong representing Great Britain.
 

Photo Courtesy & Copyright @NickHopeBBC

 
Women’s individual results
Gold: Samantha Murray (GBR) – 1411 points
Silver: Qian Chen (CHN) – 1403 points
Bronze: Liang Wanxia (CHN) – 1384 points
19th: Freyja Prentice (GBR) – 1332 points
26th: Kate French (GBR) – 1303 points
 
 
Women’s team results
Gold: China (Qian Chin, Wanxia Liang & Wei Wang) – 4061 points
Silver: Great Britain (Kate French, Samantha Murray & Freyja Prentice) – 4046 points
Bronze: Belarus (Katsiaryna Arol, Anastasiya Prokopenko & Tatsiana Yelizarova) – 4030 points
 
 
 
Pentathlon GB team for World Championships
 
Women’s individual
(* scores count towards team event)
Kate French * – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
Mhairi Spence – 31.08.85, Farr, near Inverness – Bath
Freyja Prentice *  – 20.05.90, – Inverurie near Aberdeen - Bath
Samantha Murray *  – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s individual
(* scores count towards team event)
Joe Choong – 23.05.95, Orpington - Bath
Jamie Cooke * - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Sam Curry * - 03.09.93, Salfords, Surrey - Bath
Joe Evans * - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
 
Women’s relay
Alice Fitton  - 05.08.94 from Atherton, Greater Manchester - lives Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s relay
Jamie Cooke - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, North East London - Bath
 
Mixed relay (tbc)
Joe Evans - 05.09.93, Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
 
World Championships schedule
 
Monday 1 September: women’s relay
Tuesday 2 September: men’s relay
Wednesday 3 September: women’s semi-finals
Thursday 4 September: men’s semi-finals
Friday 5 September: women’s final (including team event)
Saturday 6 September: men’s final (including team event)
Sunday 7 September: mixed relay
 
For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or at press@matchtight.co.uk
 
You can also find more information about Pentathlon GB at www.pentathlongb.org buy liking us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PentathlonGB or following us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
 
Notes for editors
 
 
·      Pentathlon GB is the national governing body for the Olympic sport   of modern pentathlon.
·      Modern pentathlon sees athletes compete in five disciplines – fencing swimming, riding and a run/shoot – all in one day.
·      Britain’s pentathletes have been successful at the highest level, winning medals at the last four Olympic Games. Steph Cook and Kate Allenby won gold and bronze respectively at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Heather Fell won silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and Samantha  Murray won silver at London 2012.
·      Pentathlon GB receives National Lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England. You can find out more about UK Sport at www.uksport.gov.uk and about Sport England at www.sportengland.org

Two of Britain’s young athletes have qualified for the men’s final at the Modern Pentathlon World Championships in Poland.
 
Jamie Cooke, aged 23, did it in style by finishing fifth in his semi-final in Warsaw today, while 19-year-old Joe Choong faced an anxious wait before it was confirmed he had sealed the last ‘next highest points scorer’ slot.
 
But there was disappointment for Sam Curry, who was 21 yesterday, and team-mate Joe Evans, who reaches the same landmark tomorrow, as they both missed out on places in Saturday's final.
 
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director praised the determination of Choong, who is studying for a Mathematics degree at the University of Bath, in reaching the final by the slenderest of margins at only his second senior international competition.
 
“It’s remarkable, you’ve got to have respect for him,” said Bartu. “He showed real intensity in the way he fought and handled the pressure today.”
 
He also praised Cooke, Britain’s 2011 world junior champion. “I would have to say he had his best combined event ever today,” he said. “He was in a really tough group, but he worked his way through the field and ended up in the top-five. That was a really respectable result and hopefully it will give him confidence for the final on Saturday.
 
“We’ve had our youngest men’s team at a World Championships here and competing at this level is a good experience for them.”
 
Group B started in the pool, where both Cooke and Evans got off to a strong start. Cooke’s 200m freestyle time of 1:52.68 was the third fastest earning him 362 pentathlon points. Evans was just behind him in 1:55.92, the fourth fastest time and worth 353 points.
 
Cooke won 13 of his 31 fencing bouts, a performance that earned him 187 points and saw him drop to 15th overall. It meant he went into the run/shoot 20 seconds off the all-important eighth place that meant automatic qualification for the final.
 
Evans started a further 23 seconds back in 22nd place after winning 11 of his fencing contests worth 173 points.
 
Cooke made sure of his place in the final with a combined event time of 11:01.72, the third fastest, to finish fifth overall.
 
Evans’ time of 11:23.36 was the 10th best in the group, but he dropped down to 18th and missed out on the final.
 
Group C also started in the pool, where Choong made a terrific start on his first taste of World Championship action by setting the quickest time in the group – 1:54.37. That meant he started his campaign with 357 pentathlon points.  Curry’s 2:00.67 was 10th fastest, earning him 338 points.
 
Choong won 14 of his 31 fencing bouts to add 194 points to his total and go into the combined event in 11th place – just three seconds off the eighth place automatic qualification spot.
 
Curry won 15 fencing contest, adding 201 points to his swimming total, which meant he went into the combined event in 15th, 12 seconds behind his team-mate.
 
Chong continued his form in the combined event with a time of 11:22.31 to finish 12th overall. That wasn’t enough for an automatic place in the final, but he secured the 12th and last place for the next highest points scorers across the three semis.
 
But Curry missed out. His combined event time of 11:46.85 saw him end his first World Championships campaign in 21st place.
 
Tomorrow (Friday) sees the GB trio of Kate French, Samantha Murray and Freyja Prentice contest the women’s individual final. They were the nominated scorers in the team competition so they will also aim to challenge for the team medals.
 
The British team were the highest scoring team in the heats yesterday, but the teams with all three nominated scorers in the final start from scratch again on Friday.
 
Pentathlon GB team for World Championships
 
Women’s individual
(* scores count towards team event)
Kate French * – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
Mhairi Spence – 31.08.85, Farr, near Inverness – Bath
Freyja Prentice *  – 20.05.90, – Inverurie near Aberdeen - Bath
Samantha Murray *  – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s individual
(* scores count towards team event)
Joe Choong – 23.05.95, Orpington - Bath
Jamie Cooke * - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Sam Curry * - 03.09.93, Salfords, Surrey - Bath
Joe Evans * - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
 
Women’s relay
Alice Fitton  - 05.08.94 from Atherton, Greater Manchester - lives Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s relay
Jamie Cooke - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, North East London - Bath
 
Mixed relay (tbc)
Joe Evans - 05.09.93, Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
 
World Championships schedule
 
Monday 1 September: women’s relay
Tuesday 2 September: men’s relay
Wednesday 3 September: women’s semi-finals
Thursday 4 September: men’s semi-finals
Friday 5 September: women’s final (including team event)
Saturday 6 September: men’s final (including team event)
Sunday 7 September: mixed relay
 
For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or at press@matchtight.co.uk
 
You can also find more information about Pentathlon GB at www.pentathlongb.org buy liking us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PentathlonGB or following us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
 
Notes for editors
 
 
·      Pentathlon GB is the national governing body for the Olympic sport   of modern pentathlon.
·      Modern pentathlon sees athletes compete in five disciplines – fencing swimming, riding and a run/shoot – all in one day.
·      Britain’s pentathletes have been successful at the highest level, winning medals at the last four Olympic Games. Steph Cook and Kate Allenby won gold and bronze respectively at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Heather Fell won silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and Samantha  Murray won silver at London 2012.
·      Pentathlon GB receives National Lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England. You can find out more about UK Sport at www.uksport.gov.uk and about Sport England at www.sportengland.org

Great Britain will have three athletes competing in the women’s final at the Modern Pentathlon World Championships in Poland on Friday after Samantha Murray, Kate French and Freyja Prentice qualified from the heats today.

The trio were Britain’s nominated scorers for the team competition, so their progress to the final means Britain will be able to battle for the medals in both the team and the individual events.
 
But there was disappointment for Mhairi Spence in Warsaw as she was edged out of a place in the final.
 
With three semi-finals taking place today, the pressure was on for athletes to secure top-eight finishes in each to book an automatic place in Friday’s final. If they missed that, they had to rely on one of the remaining places available to the next 12 highest points scorers across the three semis.
 
Murray and French both started well in group A. Murray won 18 of her 27 fencing bouts for 242 points and joint third place. French’s 14 wins put her in 11th place with 210 pentathlon points.
 
Murray produced a strong swim to leap to the top of the leaderboard. Her 200m freestyle time of 2:05.73 was worth 323 points which meant she went into the combined event with a healthy 56-second lead over the ninth placed athlete.
 
French still had work to do. Her swim time of 2:16.97 was the 11th fastest, adding 290 points to her total. She went to the combined event in 15th, nine seconds off the all-important eighth place.
 
Murray produced a solid combined event, crossing the finish line first to comfortably book her place in the final with a time of 13:06.41. French had to work harder, but she carved her way through the field and crossed the line in eighth to make sure she joined Murray in the final. Her combined event time of 12:23.50 was the fifth fastest in group A.
 
Group B started in the pool, where Spence’s 200m freestyle time of 2:12.93 was the seventh fastest, earning 302 points.
 
She could only win 12 of her 26 fencing bouts, which added 202 points to her swimming score and saw her go to the combined event in joint 13th.
 
Spence rounded off her campaign with a combined event time of 12:56.59, the 15th fastest of group B, which saw her finish 14th overall with 1028 points and facing an anxious wait to see if that was enough to qualify for the final.
 
Prentice started her campaign in the pool in group C. Her time of 2:19.43 put her 20th with 282 points. She added 218 points to her total by winning 14 of her 26 fencing bouts. That meant she went into the combined event in 13th, 11 seconds off the all-important eighth place.
 
She produced a spirited performance, clocking a time of 12:21.49 – the third fastest combined event in group C – to finish seventh and progress to the final. That performance also kept Britain's team campaign alive.
 
But there was disappointment for Spence, who found her points score wasn’t enough to progress as a ‘next highest points scorer’.
 
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: “Samantha, Kate and Freyja proved that they deserved to be in the team. Despite a few setbacks during the day, they competed well.
 
“It was good to see Samantha looking confident and competing really well. Kate was on the back foot a bit in the fencing, so she had to run hard to be sure of getting into the final." he added.  “We always had confidence Freyja could make it into the final and she did. She still has room for improvement in the shoot, but I think that will get better in the final.”
 
Tomorrow (Thursday) the British men get their individual and team campaigns underway. Joe Choong, Jamie Cooke, Sam Curry and Joe Evans are all aiming for places in Saturday’s final.
 
Pentathlon GB team for World Championships
 
Women’s individual
(* scores count towards team event)
Kate French * – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
Mhairi Spence – 31.08.85, Farr, near Inverness – Bath
Freyja Prentice *  – 20.05.90, – Inverurie near Aberdeen - Bath
Samantha Murray *  – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s individual
(three scorers to be nominated towards team event score)
Joe Choong – 23.05.95, Orpington - Bath
Jamie Cooke - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Sam Curry - 03.09.93, Salfords, Surrey - Bath
Joe Evans - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
 
Women’s relay
Alice Fitton  - 05.08.94 from Atherton, Greater Manchester - lives Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s relay
Jamie Cooke - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, North East London - Bath
 
Mixed relay (tbc)
Joe Evans - 05.09.93, Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
 
World Championships schedule
 
Monday 1 September: women’s relay
Tuesday 2 September: men’s relay
Wednesday 3 September: women’s semi-finals
Thursday 4 September: men’s semi-finals
Friday 5 September: women’s final (including team event)
Saturday 6 September: men’s final (including team event)
Sunday 7 September: mixed relay
 
For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or at press@matchtight.co.uk
 
You can also find more information about Pentathlon GB at www.pentathlongb.org buy liking us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PentathlonGB or following us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
 
Notes for editors
 
 
·      Pentathlon GB is the national governing body for the Olympic sport   of modern pentathlon.
·      Modern pentathlon sees athletes compete in five disciplines – fencing swimming, riding and a run/shoot – all in one day.
·      Britain’s pentathletes have been successful at the highest level, winning medals at the last four Olympic Games. Steph Cook and Kate Allenby won gold and bronze respectively at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Heather Fell won silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and Samantha  Murray won silver at London 2012.
·      Pentathlon GB receives National Lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England. You can find out more about UK Sport at www.uksport.gov.uk and about Sport England at www.sportengland.org

Britain’s Jamie Cooke and Tom Toolis finished in a creditable seventh place in the first men’s competition of the 2014 Modern Pentathlon World Championships in Poland today (Tuesday).
 
The British pair climbed two places from ninth in the combined event but couldn’t get among the medals in the men’s relay competition at the championships in Warsaw.
 
Pentathlon GB Performance Director Jan Bartu said: “They delivered the performances we expected from them today. Realistically a top-six finish would have been perfect, but a top-seven is respectable.
 
“They gave away a few victories in the fencing, but they had a very good swim, a clear ride and a decent combined event at a top competition,” he added. “It’s a very good start for the men’s team in Warsaw.
 
“It was also a good warm-up competition for Jamie ahead of the individual semi-finals on Thursday, while Tom confirmed that he has been gradually improving this year.”
 
Toolis, competing at his first World Championships won a men's relay bronze at the last month's European Championships, and Cooke, Britain’s 2011 World Junior Champion, made a steady start, winning 13 of their fencing bouts worth 187 pentathlon points. That meant they started their campaign in 12th place among the 17 nations in action.
 
Teams from Belarus, the Czech Republic and France led the way with 19 victories apiece for 229 points.
 
The British pairing produced the fourth fastest 2x100m freestyle swim of the day – a time of 1:45.36 – adding 384 points to their total. That kept them in 12th overall with a new total of 571 points.
 
The Russians set the fastest time of the day – 1:44.61 – while the team from Belarus were now leading the field by just two points from the Czech Republic and Egypt.
 
Cooke and Toolis kept up their momentum by winning the ride. The pair both went clear in the allowed time to bag the maximum 300 points in the riding arena.
 
Their time of 1:45.36 was the quickest of the 10 teams to go clear in the allowed time.  Great Britain climbed to ninth going into the run/shoot with a total of 871 points. They started 32 seconds behind the Belarus pair of Raman Pinchuk and Stanislau Zhurauliou, who continued to lead with 903 points.
 
Cooke led the GB pair off on the run/shoot, handing over to Toolis. Their time of 10:48.10 were the seventh fastest of the day, earning 652 pentathlon points to cross the line seventh.
 
Gold went to the French pair of Valentin Prades and Valentin Belaud, who climbed from fifth place in the run/shoot.  Belarus took silver with Korea winning bronze.
 
Tomorrow (Wednesday) sees the start of the individual competitions, with a quartet of British women Kate French, Samantha Murray, Freyja Prentice and Mhairi Spence - bidding for places in Friday’s final.
 
 
Men’s relay results
Gold: Valentin Prades & Valentin Belaud (FRA) – 1578 points
Silver: Raman Pinchuk & Stanislau Zhurauliou (BLR) – 1576 points
Bronze: Woojin Hwang & Woo Jin Lee (KOR) – 1571 points
7th: Jamie Cooke & Tom Toolis (GBR) -  1523 points
 
 
Pentathlon GB team for World Championships
 
Women’s individual
(three scorers to be nominated towards team event score)
Kate French – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
Mhairi Spence – 31.08.85, Farr, near Inverness – Bath
Freyja Prentice – 20.05.90, – Inverurie near Aberdeen - Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s individual
(three scorers to be nominated towards team event score)
Joe Choong – 23.05.95, Orpington - Bath
Jamie Cooke - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Sam Curry - 03.09.93, Salfords, Surrey - Bath
Joe Evans - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
 
Women’s relay
Alice Fitton  - 05.08.94 from Atherton, Greater Manchester - lives Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s relay
Jamie Cooke - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, North East London - Bath
 
Mixed relay (tbc)
Joe Evans - 05.09.93, Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
 
World Championships schedule
 
Monday 1 September: women’s relay
Tuesday 2 September: men’s relay
Wednesday 3 September: women’s semi-finals
Thursday 4 September: men’s semi-finals
Friday 5 September: women’s final (including team event)
Saturday 6 September: men’s final (including team event)
Sunday 7 September: mixed relay
 
For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or at press@matchtight.co.uk
 
You can also find more information about Pentathlon GB at www.pentathlongb.org buy liking us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PentathlonGB or following us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
 
Notes for editors
 
 
·      Pentathlon GB is the national governing body for the Olympic sport   of modern pentathlon.
·      Modern pentathlon sees athletes compete in five disciplines – fencing swimming, riding and a run/shoot – all in one day.
·      Britain’s pentathletes have been successful at the highest level, winning medals at the last four Olympic Games. Steph Cook and Kate Allenby won gold and bronze respectively at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Heather Fell won silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and Samantha  Murray won silver at London 2012.
·      Pentathlon GB receives National Lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England. You can find out more about UK Sport at www.uksport.gov.uk and about Sport England at www.sportengland.org

Britain’s Samantha Murray and Alice Fitton missed out on the medals in the opening compeion of the 2014 Modern Pentathlon World Championships in Poland today (Monday).
 
The pair ended the day in 13th place in the women’s relay at the championships in Warsaw.
 
They started off well, finishing joint ninth among the 15 pairings in the fencing with 13 victories from their 28 bouts worth 194 pentathlon points. The Belarus pair of Katsiaryna Arol and Anastasiya Prokopenko led the field with 19 fencing victories for 242 points.
 
Murray and Fitton produced by far the quickest swim time of the day to climb to fifth overall. The British duo were the only pair to break the two-minute mark for the 2x100m freestyle relay – and they did it in style with a time of 1:56.67. That added 350 pentathlon points to their total to put them fifth with 544 points, with China’s Qian Chen and Wanxia Liang the new leaders on 564 points.
 
But the British campaign effectively ended the in riding arena, where Murray struggled to control her horse, leading to the team’s elimination from the ride. It meant Britain took no points from the ride, dropping to 13th overall. China continued to lead on 864 pentathlon points.
 
Fitton and Murray put in a brave battle in the run/shoot. Their combined event time of 12:14.03 was the seventh fastest of the day, but it wasn’t enough to improve on their 13th place.
 
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said the pair performed well across the day, apart from that ride.
 
“That’s pentathlon, sometimes this happens,” he said. “I’m sure it will happen to other nations during the course of the championships, but hopefully it was a one-off for us.
 
“They had a reasonable day other than that. They looked good after the swim and they both shot well and had a very good combined event.”
 
China comfortably took gold, from Belarus and Italy.
 
Tomorrow (Tuesday) the British men’s duo of Jamie Cooke and Tom Toolis will contest the men’s relay.
 
Women’s relay results
Gold: Qian Chen & Wanxia Liang (CHN) – 1454 points
Silver: Katsiaryna Arol and Anastasiya Prokopenko (BLR) – 1441 points
Bronze: Lavinia Bonessio & Camilla Lontano (ITA) -  1424 points
13th: Alice Fitton & Samantha Murray (GBR) – 1110 points
 
Pentathlon GB team for World Championships
 
Women’s individual
(three scorers to be nominated towards team event score)
Kate French – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
Mhairi Spence – 31.08.85, Farr, near Inverness – Bath
Freyja Prentice – 20.05.90, – Inverurie near Aberdeen - Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s individual
(three scorers to be nominated towards team event score)
Joe Choong – 23.05.95, Orpington - Bath
Jamie Cooke - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Sam Curry - 03.09.93, Salfords, Surrey - Bath
Joe Evans - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
 
Women’s relay
Alice Fitton  - 05.08.94 from Atherton, Greater Manchester - lives Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s relay
Jamie Cooke - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, North East London - Bath
 
Mixed relay (tbc)
Joe Evans - 05.09.93, Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
 
World Championships schedule
 
Monday 1 September: women’s relay
Tuesday 2 September: men’s relay
Wednesday 3 September: women’s semi-finals
Thursday 4 September: men’s semi-finals
Friday 5 September: women’s final (including team event)
Saay 6 September: men’s final (including team event)
Sunday 7 September: mixed relay
 
For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or at press@matchtight.co.uk
 
You can also find more information about Pentathlon GB at www.pentathlongb.org buy liking us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PentathlonGB or following us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
 
Notes for editors
 
 
·      Pentathlon GB is the national governing body for the Olympic sport   of modern pentathlon.
·      Modern pentathlon sees athletes compete in five disciplines – fencing swimming, riding and a run/shoot – all in one day.
·      Britain’s pentathletes have been successful at the highest level, winning medals at the last four Olympic Games. Steph Cook and Kate Allenby won gold and bronze respectively at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Heather Fell won silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and Samantha  Murray won silver at London 2012.
·      Pentathlon GB receives National Lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England. You can find out more about UK Sport at www.uksport.gov.uk and about Sport England at www.sportengland.org

Britain’s modern pentathletes get their 2014 World Championships campaign underway in Warsaw on Monday (1 September).
 
The GB team won two medals last year in Chinese Taipei – a gold in the women’s team event and an individual silver courtesy of Nick Woodbridge, who misses this year’s competition through injury.
 
The 10-strong British team spent two weeks training at altitude at Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees before returning to the Pentathlon GB National Training Centre at the University of Bath to fine-tune their preparations for the World Championships.
 
The women’s relay pairing of Samantha Murray and Alice Fitton will be first in action on Monday (1 September).
 
Murray, the London 2012 Olympic silver medallist, hopes it will be the first of three competitions for her in five days, with the women’s individual qualifiers following on Wednesday and the final on Friday.
 
“It’s going to be a hard week, but I’m looking forward to it,” she said. “With three competitions in five days it will be demanding and draining, but hopefully exciting and rewarding.
 
“I’m in good shape and I’ve done everything I can do up to now,” she said.
 
Tuesday (2 September) sees Britain's 2011 world junior champion Jamie Cooke partner Tom Toolis for the Pentathlon GB team in the men’s relay. Toolis won bronze in the men’s relay with Sam Curry at last month’s European Championships in Hungary.
 
Wednesday (3 September) sees Kate French, Samantha Murray, Freyja Prentice and Mhairi Spence contest the women’s individual qualifiers, aiming for places in Friday’s final. Three of their scores will count towards the team competition, an event in which French, Murray and Spence won gold last year.
 
Two years ago Spence became only the third British woman pentathlete to win the individual World Championship title when she took gold in Rome.
 
She has been sidelined for most of this season with an injury but is looking forward to the World Championships.
 
“I haven’t competed much this year, but I feel in good shape,” she said.
 
A young British men’s quartet of Joe Choong, Jamie Cooke, Sam Curry and Joe Evans get their individual campaigns underway on Thursday (4 September) aiming for spots in Saturday’s final. Three of them will be nominated for their scores to count towards the team competition.
 
It’s a young team – they will arrive in Warsaw with an average age of just under 21. Curry and Evans will both celebrate their 21st birthdays during the championships – Curry on Wednesday 3 September and Evans on Friday 5 September.
 
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: “It’s the youngest men’s team we have ever had. Jamie is the oldest at 23. It’s going to be interesting to see them compete.
 
“It’s a good transition and part of the bigger picture for us,” he added. “It’s an important part of our preparations for the Games for our young athletes to experience the World Championships.”
 
It's only Joe Choong's second senior competition after competing at last month’s European Championships. “I feel quite good and I did the European Championships so I know what to expect,” he said “It’s an opportunity and an experience for me.”
 
Evans, who competes in his second successive World Championships, said: “I didn’t make the final last year, but I’m hoping to this time. Once I’m in the final I’ll push as hard as I can. I’m feeling in good form.”
 
Evans is due to compete alongside Kate French in the final competition of the championships, the mixed relay, on Sunday 7 September, although that line-up may be subject to change.
 
The British athletes will begin their journey to qualify for the Rio Olympic Games in December with the first of three national ranking competitions, taking place at the University of Bath.
 
The national ranking competitions will help determine selections for major competitions on the 2015 international calendar, when the first qualification places are up for grabs.
 
They include the 2015 European Championships at the University of Bath from 17 to 23 August, when the top-eight men and women will achieve the Olympic qualifying standard for Rio.
 
Pentathlon GB team for World Championships
(changes in italics)
 
Women’s individual
(three scorers to be nominated towards team event score)
Kate French – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
Mhairi Spence – 31.08.85, Farr, near Inverness – Bath
Freyja Prentice – 20.05.90, – Inverurie near Aberdeen - Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s individual
(three scorers to be nominated towards team event score)
Joe Choong – 23.05.95, Orpington - Bath
Jamie Cooke - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Sam Curry - 03.09.93, Salfords, Surrey - Bath
Joe Evans - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
 
Women’s relay
Alice Fitton  - 05.08.94 from Atherton, Greater Manchester - lives Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s relay
Jamie Cooke - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, North East London - Bath
 
Mixed relay (tbc)
Joe Evans - 05.09.93, Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
 
World Championships schedule
 
Monday 1 September: women’s relay
Tuesday 2 September: men’s relay
Wednesday 3 September: women’s semi-finals
Thursday 4 September: men’s semi-finals
Friday 5 September: women’s final (including team event)
Saturday 6 September: men’s final (including team event)
Sunday 7 September: mixed relay
 
For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or at press@matchtight.co.uk
 
You can also find more information about Pentathlon GB at www.pentathlongb.org buy liking us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PentathlonGB or following us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
 
Notes for editors
 
 
·      Pentathlon GB is the national governing body for the Olympic sport   of modern pentathlon.
·      Modern pentathlon sees athletes compete in five disciplines – fencing swimming, riding and a run/shoot – all in one day.
·      Britain’s pentathletes have been successful at the highest level, winning medals at the last four Olympic Games. Steph Cook and Kate Allenby won gold and bronze respectively at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Heather Fell won silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and Samantha  Murray won silver at London 2012.
·      Pentathlon GB receives National Lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England. You can find out more about UK Sport at www.uksport.gov.uk and about Sport England at www.sportengland.org
 

Britain’s Francesca Summers and Henry Choong missed out on the medals in the final modern pentathlon competition of the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games.
 
In a twist on the usual format, the athletes were paired up with an athlete from a different country to compete in today’s mixed relay.
 
Summers, who won individual silver on Saturday, partnered Poland’s Bartosz Stanislaw Hoffmann, who had come 23rd in the men’s competition.
 
Henry Choong, 11th in the men’s competition on Sunday, was matched with France’s Laure Roset, who was 14th in the women’s competition.
 
Choong and Roset started well, with the fastest time in the pool with a joint team time of 1:55.12, while Summers and Hoffman were 15th with 2:04.19.
 
Summers and Hoffman fenced well to climb to fifth going to the run/shoot. They started 19 seconds behind Russia’s individual gold medallist Aleksandr Lifanov and Jolana Hojsakova of the Czech Republic, who led the field. Choong and Roset were 46 seconds off the lead in 13th.
 
Summers and Roset ended their campaign in Nanjing with a combined run/shoot time of 12:42.05, the 16th best of the day, to finish 10th overall.
 
Choong and Roset’s time of 12:41.33 was 15th fastest and saw the pair finish 17th.

Summers said: "Competing with a non GB team-mate in the mixed event was different, but lots of fun and I’ve made a friend for life.

“The best thing about the Youth Olympic Games has been meeting new people from different sports from Team GB and hope we’ll all stay friends.

“I will go home happy with my performance here at the Youth Olympic Games and am really happy with my silver medal from the individual event.”

Choong said: “I had a really good swim again. We were strong as a team and swam the fastest time of the day which was great.

“I felt like I had a strong shoot today but my legs were still tired from the individual so I wasn’t as strong on the run, but considering everything, I was pleased with my performance. We didn’t start very high, so there was no pressure to try and get amongst the medals, so it was more of a personal performance.

“It’s been great experience in Nanjing, there is nothing else quite like the Olympics and I’ve really enjoy everything about it.”

Gold went to the Portuguese and Ukrainian combination of Maria Migueis Teixeira and Anton Kuznetsov.
 
Youth Olympic Games mixed relay results
Gold: Maria Migueis Teixeira (POR) & Anton Kuznetsov (UKR) - 1204 pentathlon points  
Silver: Anna Toth (HUN) & Ricardo Yamil Vera Reyes (MEX) - 1201 pentathlon points
Bronze: Aurora Tognetti (ITA) & Gilung Park (KOR) - 1183 pentathlon points
10th: Francesca Summers (GBR) & Bartosz Stanislaw Hoffman (POL) – 1157 pentathlon points
17th: Henry Choong (GBR)  & Laure Roset (FRA)  –  1131 pentathlon points
For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or at press@matchtight.co.uk

For further information about Team GB please see  www.teamgb.com or contact Laura Meech – laura.meech@teamgb.com

For further information about the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games please go to www.nanjing2014.org/en

Britain’s Henry Choong finished a creditable 11th place in the modern pentathlon competition at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China today (Sunday).
 
The 17-year-old Brit started the day well by winning the 200m freestyle swim with a time of 1:57.21 – more than two seconds clear of the next fastest athlete.
 
He came 15th in the fencing, which meant he went into the run/shoot in eighth place 37 seconds behind Hungary’s Gergely Regos, who led the 24-strong field.
 
Henry's run/shoot time of 12:57.62 was the 19th fastest of the day to see him end the competition in 11th overall. Russia’s Aleksandr Lifanov climbed from fourth in the run/shoot to take gold as athletes from eastern Europe dominated the podium.

“I was aiming to get in the top ten and I finished 11th, so I was just outside of my aim and I am happy with that," said Henry.

“My run was my best performance today. My swimming, I always do well, so that was expected today but running isn’t always great so I pleased with how that went today.

“The first half went really well and I was able to move up to fifth position and then I got bit nervous because I was getting close to a medal spot and my shoot slipped a bit with the pressure and I fell to 11th.”

Henry is from Orpington and took up pentathlon five years ago when he started studying at Whitgift School in South Croydon.
 
A bronze medallist at the 2012 Youth B European Championships in Poland, he won the under-17 title at this year’s British Schools Modern Biathlon Championships held at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
 
Yesterday (Saturday) team-mate Francesca Summers made a piece of history by winning silver in the women’s competition. She became the first British pentathlete to medal at a Youth Olympic Games.
 
On Tuesday (26 August) Henry and Francesca compete in the final pentathlon event in Nanjing, the mixed relay.
 
 
Youth Olympic Games results
Gold: Aleksandr Lifanov (RUS) – 1184 pentathlon points
Silver: Gergely Regos (HUN) – 1175 pentathlon points
Bronze: Dovydas Vaivada (LTU) – 1151 pentathlon points
11th: Henry Choong (GBR) – 1107 pentathlon points
 
For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or at press@matchtight.co.uk

For further information about Team GB please see  www.teamgb.com or contact Laura Meech – laura.meech@teamgb.com

For further information about the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games please go to www.nanjing2014.org/en
   

You can also find more information about Pentathlon GB at www.pentathlongb.org buy liking us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PentathlonGB or following us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
 
Notes for editors
 
 
·      Pentathlon GB is the national governing body for the Olympic sport   of modern pentathlon.
·      Modern pentathlon sees athletes compete in five disciplines – fencing swimming, riding and a run/shoot – all in one day.
·      Britain’s pentathletes have been successful at the highest level, winning medals at the last four Olympic Games. Steph Cook and Kate Allenby won gold and bronze respectively at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Heather Fell won silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and Samantha  Murray won silver at London 2012.
·      Pentathlon GB receives National Lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England. You can find out more about UK Sport at www.uksport.gov.uk and about Sport England at www.sportengland.org
 
 

Eighteen-year-old Francesca Summers made a piece of history today (Saturday) by becoming the first British pentathlete to win a Youth Olympic Games medal.
 
Francesca’s silver medal for Team GB at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games means she follows in the footsteps of a string of impressive performances by Britain’s women pentathletes, who have medalled at the last four senior Olympic Games.
 
Eleventh after the 200m freestyle swim today with a time of 2:21.33, she fenced well to progress to second place overall. She started the run/shoot nine seconds behind Canada’s Kali Frances Sayers.
 
Francesca produced the sixth best run/shoot of the day with a time of 13:52.95, which was enough to see her capture silver behind China’s Xiuting Zhong, who climbed from fifth place to take gold.

"It is an amazing feeling to win silver, I am so happy,” said Francesca. “It was the hottest conditions I have ever run in but well worth it obviously.

“My fencing was really good and it went really well," she added. “Winning the medal has given me loads of experience for the future and who knows, maybe Rio next, we will see.”

Francesca is from Dorking and is a student at Hurtwood House School. She is on Pentathlon GB’s World Class Podium Potential Programme.
 
Her performance in Nanjing today capped an impressive season which has already seen her win individual bronze at the Youth A World Championships in Hungary in May and then come fourth at the World Junior Championships in Poland. She helped the British team win team gold on both occasions. She also won silver at June’s British Junior Championships.
 
Tomorrow (Sunday) it's the turn of the men to go into action in Nanjing, with Henry Choong representing Great Britain.
 
The pair will team up to contest the mixed relay on Tuesday (26 August).
 
Youth Olympic Games results
Gold: Xiuting Zhong (CHN) – 1054 pentathlon points
Silver: Francesca Summers (GBR) – 1044 pentathlon points
Bronze: Anna Matthes (GER) – 1030 pentathlon points
 

For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or at press@matchtight.co.uk

For further information about Team GB please see  www.teamgb.com or contact Laura Meech – laura.meech@teamgb.com

For further information about the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games please go to www.nanjing2014.org/en

 
You can also find more information about Pentathlon GB at www.pentathlongb.org buy liking us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PentathlonGB or following us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
 
Notes for editors
 
 
·      Pentathlon GB is the national governing body for the Olympic sport   of modern pentathlon.
·      Modern pentathlon sees athletes compete in five disciplines – fencing swimming, riding and a run/shoot – all in one day.
·      Britain’s pentathletes have been successful at the highest level, winning medals at the last four Olympic Games. Steph Cook and Kate Allenby won gold and bronze respectively at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Heather Fell won silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and Samantha  Murray won silver at London 2012.
·      Pentathlon GB receives National Lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England. You can find out more about UK Sport at www.uksport.gov.uk and about Sport England at www.sportengland.org
 

Athletes Henry Choong and Francesca Summers will be competing in Nanjing, China tomorrow at the Youth Olympic Games.  You can watch them live at this link and the schedules (in UK time) are below!

Friday 22nd

0300-0430 Women's fencing (ranking round)
0700-0830 Men's fencing (ranking round)

Saturday 23rd
0730-0750 women's swimming
0900-0950 women's fencing ladder
1125-1145 women's CE
1200-1220 medal ceremony

Sunday 24th

0730-0750 men's swimming
0900-0950 men's fencing ladder
1125-1145 men's CE
1200-1220 medal ceremony

Tuesday 26th

0130-0330 mixed relay ranking round
0630-0650 mixed relay swim
0800-0940 mixed relay fencing ladder
1125-1145 mixed relay CE
1200-1220 medal ceremony

Teenager Joe Choong will represent Great Britain in the individual competition at next month's Modern Pentathlon World Championships for the first time.
 
The 19-year-old had originally been selected for the men’s relay at the championships in Warsaw. He now steps into the berth for the individual competition vacated by double Olympian Nick Woodbridge, who misses the championships through injury.
 
Woodbridge will concentrate on getting fit for next season, when the qualification process for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games gets underway.
 
“This is going to be a massive opportunity for Joe to see if he can compete at the top senior level,” said Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director.
 
Choong is a studying for a degree in Mathematics at the University of Bath and although still a junior athlete, he reached the final of last month’s European Championships in Hungary, finishing 36th.
 
The world championships run from 1 to 9 September and he will compete in Warsaw just days after his 17-year-old brother represents Great Britain in the pentathlon at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China.
 
Sam Curry, who was scheduled to only contest the men’s individual competition at the World Championships, will now also replace Joe Choong in the men’s relay team. He partners Tom Toolis, which means Britain will field the same pairing that won bronze at the European Championships.
 
Joe Evans and Kate French are likely to contest the mixed relay.
 
The team are now continuing their preparations for the championships at their altitude training base at Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees.
 
Bartu said: “Training is going well and we’re looking forward to the world championships. So far so good.”
 
The British athletes will begin their journey to qualify for the Rio Olympic Games in December with the first of three national ranking competitions, taking place at the University of Bath.
 
The national ranking competitions will help determine selections for major competitions on the 2015 international calendar, when the first qualification places are up for grabs.
 
They include the 2015 European Championships at the University of Bath from 17 to 23 August, when the top-eight men and women will achieve the Olympic qualifying standard for Rio.
 
Pentathlon GB team for World Championships
(changes in italics)
 
Women’s individual
(three scorers to be nominated towards team event score)
Kate French – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
Mhairi Spence – 31.08.85, Farr, near Inverness – Bath
Freyja Prentice – 20.05.90, – Inverurie near Aberdeen - Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s individual
(three scorers to be nominated towards team event score)
Joe Choong – 23.05.95, Orpington - Bath
Jamie Cooke - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Sam Curry - 03.09.93, Salfords, Surrey - Bath
Joe Evans - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
 
Women’s relay
Alice Fitton  - 05.08.94 from Atherton, Greater Manchester - lives Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s relay
Sam Curry - 03.09.93, Salfords, Surrey - Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, North East London - Bath
 
Mixed relay (tbc)
Joe Evans - 05.09.93, Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
 
World Championships schedule
 
Monday 1 September: women’s relay
Tuesday 2 September: men’s relay
Wednesday 3 September: women’s semi-finals
Thursday 4 September: men’s semi-finals
Friday 5 September: women’s final (including team event)
Saturday 6 September: men’s final (including team event)
Sunday 7 September: mixed relay
 
For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or at press@matchtight.co.uk
 
You can also find more information about Pentathlon GB at www.pentathlongb.org buy liking us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PentathlonGB or following us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
 
Notes for editors
 
 
·      Pentathlon GB is the national governing body for the Olympic sport   of modern pentathlon.
·      Modern pentathlon sees athletes compete in five disciplines – fencing swimming, riding and a run/shoot – all in one day.
·      Britain’s pentathletes have been successful at the highest level, winning medals at the last four Olympic Games. Steph Cook and Kate Allenby won gold and bronze respectively at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Heather Fell won silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and Samantha  Murray won silver at London 2012.
·      Pentathlon GB receives National Lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England. You can find out more about UK Sport at www.uksport.gov.uk and about Sport England at www.sportengland.org

An 11-strong Pentathlon GB squad featuring Olympic silver medallist Samantha Murray and former world champion Mhairi Spence has been selected to compete at next month’s World Championships in Poland.
 
The championships, which run from 1 to 9 September, are the last major competition before athletes begin the process of trying to qualify places for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
 
The Pentathlon GB team will arrive in Warsaw as reigning women’s team champions, after Kate French, Murray and Spence struck gold at last year’s competition in Chinese Taipei.
 
That trio returns to action in the individual competition in Warsaw, where they are joined by Freyja Prentice. Three of the four will be nominated scorers towards the GB team score in Warsaw.
 
Britain’s other world championship medallist last year was Nick Woodbridge, who won individual silver. Like last year, he faces a late fitness test on an injury before a final decision is made on his participation at Warsaw.
 
He is joined in the men’s individual competition by the young trio of Jamie Cooke, Sam Curry and Joe Evans.
 
Samantha Murray and Alice Fitton will get Britain’s campaign underway in the first competition of the championships, the women’s relay, on Monday 1 September. Joe Choong and Tom Toolis will contest the men’s relay the following day.
 
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: “We always aspire to medal, whether in individual competitions or as teams.”
 
The team are now continuing their preparations for the championships at their altitude training base at Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees.
 
The British athletes will begin their journey to qualify for the Rio Olympic Games in December with the first of three national ranking competitions, taking place at the University of Bath. They will help determine selections for major competitions on the 2015 international calendar, when the first qualification places are up for grabs.
 
They include the 2015 European Championships at the University of Bath from 17 to 23 August, when the top-eight men and women will achieve the Olympic qualifying standard for Rio.
 
The British team won two medals at last month’s European Championships in Hungary, where Murray and Evans won mixed relay silver, with Curry and Toolis collecting the men’s relay bronze.

The team are based at the Pentathlon GB National Training Centre at the University of Bath.
 
Pentathlon GB team for the 2014 World Championships
 
Women’s individual
(three scorers to be nominated towards team event score)
Kate French – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
Mhairi Spence – 31.08.85, Farr, near Inverness – Bath
Freyja Prentice – 20.05.90, – Inverurie near Aberdeen - Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s individual
(three scorers to be nominated towards team event score)
Jamie Cooke - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Sam Curry - 03.09.93, Salfords, Surrey - Bath
Joe Evans - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Nick Woodbridge * – 01.07.86, Telford, Shropshire - Bath
* subject to medical & fitness check
 
Women’s relay
Alice Fitton  - 05.08.94 from Atherton, Greater Manchester - lives Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s relay
Joe Choong – 23.05.95, Orpington - Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, North East London - Bath
 
Mixed relay
To be decided
 
World Championships schedule
 
Monday 1 September: women’s relay
Tuesday 2 September: men’s relay
Wednesday 3 September: women’s semi-finals
Thursday 4 September: men’s semi-finals
Friday 5 September: women’s final (including team event)
Saturday 6 September: men’s final (including team event)
Sunday 7 September: mixed relay
 
 
For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or at press@matchtight.co.uk
 
You can also find more information about Pentathlon GB at www.pentathlongb.org buy liking us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PentathlonGB or following us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
 
Notes for editors
 
 
·      Pentathlon GB is the national governing body for the Olympic sport   of modern pentathlon.
·      Modern pentathlon sees athletes compete in five disciplines – fencing swimming, riding and a run/shoot – all in one day.
·      Britain’s pentathletes have been successful at the highest level, winning medals at the last four Olympic Games. Steph Cook and Kate Allenby won gold and bronze respectively at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Heather Fell won silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and Samantha  Murray won silver at London 2012.
·      Pentathlon GB receives National Lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England. You can find out more about UK Sport at www.uksport.gov.uk and about Sport England at www.sportengland.org

Today saw the final day of the Youth B European Championships here in Sant Boi, Barcelona with our Boys Relay Team finishing in Bronze Medal position rising from 5th at the start, congratulations to Harrison Yarnold and Joshua Miller. In the mixed and girls team relay the young athletes did very well in sweltering heat and the finishing positions dont give a true picture of the the drama and closeness of the event. The full results are on the competition website and have been posted on PGB FB throughout the competition.

We established a couple of facts since out here, firstly that the podium being used was the exact podium used at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games for the Modern Pentathlon awards ceremony and secondly that Sant Boi has links with Bath in England in that Sant Boi's has the same Roman hot baths. They were built at the end of the 2nd century AD, in a period of splendour for this area. They remained in full operation until the end of the 5th century AD. In the 17th century a house was built on top of the site, which aided in their conservation. The baths remained covered for centuries until they were discovered in 1953 thanks to a document dating from 1826, which was interpreted by a local historian, Carles Marti I Vila. The excavation was initiated by Ramon Mas I Campderros and continued a year later under the direction of Josep de Calassanc Serra I Rafols. In 1959 the provincial government of Barcelona sponsored the construction of a building to protect the excavated ruins. They later carried out another project on the ensemble in 1989, which finished on the day of the monument's official opening the 11th of September 1998.

The organisation of these championships was first class and every detail seemed to be covered, good information clear and issued on time, transport on time, hotel and food well up to the standard required. But most of all the technical equipment worked fully and out of the several hundred probably thousand or two shots fired I did not witness one failure. No excuses and athletes could rely on the targets and feedback system provided for them to use. Well done!

So our competition is over and we will travel home tomorrow for the athletes to now take a well earned rest. The shots and scoring feedback is noe available on the Apeom website apeom.cz

Britain’s Samantha Murray is the new modern pentathlon world champion after striking gold in Warsaw today (Friday).

And there was a double celebration for the British team as she joined forces with Kate French and Freyja Prentice to secure the silver medal for Great Britain in the team competition.
 
Twenty-four-year-old Murray becomes only the fourth British woman to win individual Modern Pentathlon World Championship gold and her success today followed an individual bronze at the 2012 World Championships in Rome and silver at the London 2012 Olympics.
 
Murray’s performances today included a modern pentathlon short course world record for the 200m freestyle and she looked calm and relaxed as she climbed from third to first in the run/shoot to secure gold.
 
“It doesn’t feel real,” said Murray, who is originally from Clitheroe in Lancashire and now lives in Bath, where she trains at the Pentathlon GB National Training Centre at the University of Bath.
 
“I’ve worked so hard for this and I’ve been aiming for this competition for a while. To be able to say I’m world champion is absolutely fantastic. I dreamed of this so often and now my dream has come true.
 
“When I started to relax and smile today all the work I have put in came through. I couldn't believe how easy the combined event felt. I was really on top of it today.
 
“My coaches Istvan (Nemeth) Frici (Foldes) and Jan (Bartu) have had so much faith in me. They've given me so much support and pushed me when I needed it and my training partners have been great. I owe a massive thank you to so many people."
 
And she paid tribute to 2012 world champion Mhairi Spence, who didn't make the final today but helped Murray during her campaign. “Having someone of her experience helping me was fantastic. I owe her a huge thank you,” she said.
 
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: “It was a world class performance. It’s fantastic to see her back because it hasn’t been easy for her over the last year.
 
“She decided to go for it and this is the reward for the hard work. She showed maximum composure in the combined event today. From her first shot she was absolutely relaxed and she kept a fantastic rhythmic.
 
“It was an amazing improvement on how she was shooting last year and it's a credit to Istvan Nemeth and the coaching team, and to the English Institute of Sport team who have all contributed to this success.
 
“It was a well deserved silver medal for the team today,” he added. “They were beaten by a better team – the Chinese were almost perfect today.”
 
Murray is Britain’s fourth individual woman modern pentathlon world champion and follows in the footsteps of Wendy Norman (1982), Steph Cook (2001) and Mhairi Spence (2012).
 
Murray started her campaign today by winning 18 of her 34 fencing bouts to put her joint 14th with 208 pentathlon points. French and Prentice won 14 contests each, to start the day in joint 23rd with 184 points. Russia’s Donata Rimsaite led the field with 25 victories for 250 points.
 
Murray produced a storming swim to climb to second place on the leaderboard. Her time of 2:03.84 was a 200m freestyle modern pentathlon world record in a short course pool – smashing the record of 2:04.26 set by Hungary’s Sarolta Kovacs at the European Championships in Medway three years ago.
 
That time earned Murray 329 pentathlon points taking her total to 537 points and putting her 10 points behind Kovacs, the new overall leader.
 
French’s time of 2:16.89 was the 19th fastest of the day and added 290 points to her total, putting her 25th.  Prentice’s 2:19.40 was the 28th fastest, earning 282 points and putting her 28th overall going into the ride.
 
Murray kept up her momentum with a steady round in the riding arena. She went clear, but incurred six time penalties to add 294 points to her total. That meant she went to the combined event in third with 831 points.
 
She started 16 seconds behind Kovacs, who still led the field, and five seconds behind Rimsaite, who had moved up to second place.
 
Prentice dropped seven points from the maximum 300 available in the ride to go into the combined event in 25th, 88 seconds off the lead, while French collected 286 points in the ride to go into the run shoot in 24th, starting a second ahead of Prentice.
 
Murray looked relaxed as she set off on the run/shoot, moving past Kovacs into the lead on the second of four 800m running legs. She shot calmly and her lead never looked in doubt, and she crossed the finish line triumphantly with a huge smile on her face. Her combined event time of 12:00.6 was the second fastest of the day.
 
China’s Qian Chen came home eight seconds later to take silver, with her team-mate Wanxia Liang taking bronze, a further 19 seconds back.
 
Prentice’s produced the fifth best run/shoot of the day with a time of 12:07.73 to climb to 19th, while French’s 12:37.52 was 17th fastest and saw her finish in 26th.
 
And there was a double celebration with the performances of Murray, Prentice and French sing Great Britain take team silver behind China.
 
Tomorrow (Saturday) the men return to action in their final with Jamie Cooke and 19-year-old Joe Choong representing Great Britain.
 

Photo Courtesy & Copyright @NickHopeBBC

 
Women’s individual results
Gold: Samantha Murray (GBR) – 1411 points
Silver: Qian Chen (CHN) – 1403 points
Bronze: Liang Wanxia (CHN) – 1384 points
19th: Freyja Prentice (GBR) – 1332 points
26th: Kate French (GBR) – 1303 points
 
 
Women’s team results
Gold: China (Qian Chin, Wanxia Liang & Wei Wang) – 4061 points
Silver: Great Britain (Kate French, Samantha Murray & Freyja Prentice) – 4046 points
Bronze: Belarus (Katsiaryna Arol, Anastasiya Prokopenko & Tatsiana Yelizarova) – 4030 points
 
 
 
Pentathlon GB team for World Championships
 
Women’s individual
(* scores count towards team event)
Kate French * – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
Mhairi Spence – 31.08.85, Farr, near Inverness – Bath
Freyja Prentice *  – 20.05.90, – Inverurie near Aberdeen - Bath
Samantha Murray *  – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s individual
(* scores count towards team event)
Joe Choong – 23.05.95, Orpington - Bath
Jamie Cooke * - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Sam Curry * - 03.09.93, Salfords, Surrey - Bath
Joe Evans * - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
 
Women’s relay
Alice Fitton  - 05.08.94 from Atherton, Greater Manchester - lives Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.89, Clitheroe, Lancashire – Bath
 
Men’s relay
Jamie Cooke - 03.03.91, Cheltenham – Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, North East London - Bath
 
Mixed relay (tbc)
Joe Evans - 05.09.93, Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, from: Meopham, Gravesend – lives: Bath
 
World Championships schedule
 
Monday 1 September: women’s relay
Tuesday 2 September: men’s relay
Wednesday 3 September: women’s semi-finals
Thursday 4 September: men’s semi-finals
Friday 5 September: women’s final (including team event)
Saturday 6 September: men’s final (including team event)
Sunday 7 September: mixed relay
 
For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or at press@matchtight.co.uk
 
You can also find more information about Pentathlon GB at www.pentathlongb.org buy liking us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PentathlonGB or following us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
 
Notes for editors
 
 
·      Pentathlon GB is the national governing body for the Olympic sport   of modern pentathlon.
·      Modern pentathlon sees athletes compete in five disciplines – fencing swimming, riding and a run/shoot – all in one day.
·      Britain’s pentathletes have been successful at the highest level, winning medals at the last four Olympic Games. Steph Cook and Kate Allenby won gold and bronze respectively at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Heather Fell won silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and Samantha  Murray won silver at London 2012.
·      Pentathlon GB receives National Lottery funding from UK Sport and Sport England. You can find out more about UK Sport at www.uksport.gov.uk and about Sport England at www.sportengland.org