Most of the world’s top modern pentathletes will be in action at the Millfield World Cup – the last major international modern pentathlon event in the UK before the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Members of the media are welcome to attend the World Cup at Millfield from 27th to 30th March.
There will also be an opportunity to interview members of the GB team ahead of the World Cup at a press conference at Millfield on Wednesday 26th March.
For media accreditation for Millfield, further information about the event or for interviews with members of the GB team, please contact Steve Ballinger at Matchtight Ltd, by email at steve@matchtight.co.uk or by phone on 07765 071683.
Further news items about the Millfield World Cup will be posted on this site in the build-up to the competition and during the World Cup itself.
Fell leads British challenge at London World Championships posted by Steve Ballinger on03-07-2009
Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medallist Heather Fell leads the British challenge at the Modern Pentathlon World Championships, which take place in London next month.
Fell is a member of the six-strong Great Britain team for the championships that was announced today (3 July) at Crystal Palace, which hosts the World Championships from 13-17 August. Two further men will be added to the team at a later date.
Last weekend Fell won the individual silver medal at the European Championships as well as the team gold with Katy Livingston and Mhairi Spence, who also feature in the team for Crystal Palace.
The women's team also includes 18-year-old Freyja Prentice, who finished 10th on her World Cup debut in Mexico City in March. She is currently with the British team preparing to compete at the World Junior Championships, which get underway in Chinese Taipei on Monday (6 July).
Beijing 2008 Olympians Sam Weale and Nick Woodbridge lead the men's challenge. Two further athletes will be added to the men's team nearer to the championships.
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB performance director, said: "The World Championships are the pinnacle of the year, particularly for us as we will be at home.
"We exceeded our expectations at the European Championships. There will definitely be teams that are stronger than us, but that will inspire us.
"Being at home means a medal is expected of us. We are definitely contenders in both genders and the ladies" team will go to Crystal Palace as European Champions."
The full British team for the 2009 World Championships is:
Heather Fell
Mhairi Spence
Freyja Prentice
Katy Livingston
Sam Weale
Nick Woodbridge
Media accreditation and opportunities ahead of Modern Pentathlon World Championships posted by Steve Ballinger on25-06-2009
The world’s top pentathletes will be in action when the 2009 Modern Pentathlon World Championships take place at Crystal Palace in London from 13-17 August.
Media accreditation forms are available from the World Championships website. You can download a form by going to http://www.pentathlongb.org/mpwc/media.php
There will be a number of media opportunities with members of the British team in the lead-up to the championships.
These are as follows:
Friday 3 July 2009 at 12.00 – GB World Championships team announcement & photo opportunity at Crystal Palace, London
Sunday 26 July – GB Open Pentathlon at the University of Bath, Bath
Tuesday 11 August – pre-World Championships GB team press conference at Crystal Palace, London
Times will be confirmed nearer to the dates. For further information or to log any specific requests, please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 443998 or 07765 071683.
You can also find out further details of the championships at http://www.pentathlongb.org/mpwc
Tickets on sale as London prepares to host World Championships posted by Steve Ballinger on01-06-2009
Tickets have gone on sale for the 2009 Modern Pentathlon World Championships, which take place at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London from 13-17 August.
The competition - the highpoint of the 2009 modern pentathlon calendar - is the first World Championships held in an Olympic sport in London since 1986.
It will also be the first time the Modern Pentathlon World Championships have been held in the UK since 2001 and the first World Championships to feature the sport's new combined run/shoot format.
Tickets for the championships can be bought in advance online through Ticketmaster (at a discounted rate before 15th June) and will also be available on the gate. For further information about buying tickets please go to the World Championships website.
Peter Hart, Chief Executive of Pentathlon GB, said: "The World Championships are the biggest event on the modern pentathlon calendar in 2009 and it's particularly exciting to host them in London just three years before the London 2012 Olympics Games.
"Britain has a terrific track record in modern pentathlon and hopefully competing on home soil will give our athletes an extra boost. It will be great to see some British athletes on the podium at Crystal Palace."
The World Championships are being supported by UK Sport's Major Events Team and also provide an opportunity to train and qualify some of the officials that will be involved in the modern pentathlon at the London 2012 Olympics.
"We've had terrific support from UK Sport's Major Events Team in the build-up to the World Championships and would like to publicly thank them for that support," said Hart.
Lucy Crickmore, UK Sport Events Consultant, said: "UK Sport is delighted to be supporting Pentathlon GB in staging the 2009 World Modern Pentathlon Championships, which will be the first World Championships to be hosted by London within the 2012 Olympiad, via our National Lottery funded World Class Events Programme.
"To bring this world class event onto home soil will not only aid the preparation of our athletes, but also event managers, officials and volunteers in the build up to the London Olympic Games."
Each nation can enter up to four athletes of each gender for the championships. The competition for places in the women's GB team will be particularly intense.
Katy Livingston, who came seventh for Great Britain at the Beijing 2008 Olympics and won individual bronze at last year's World Championships, said: "It's great to have the World Championships in London. It will be good to have our family and friends there and to have home support getting behind us."
Sam Weale, who finished 10th at Beijing 2008, said: "I've never competed at a World Championships in my home country and I'm really looking forward to it, particularly as a warm-up for London 2012. You don't get that opportunity too often."
The championships provide an opportunity to see the world's top pentathletes battling it out in a sport that is one of the most challenging and fascinating there is.
Athletes have to master five very different disciplines - fencing, swimming and equestrian challenges, followed by the new climax to the event, the combined run/shoot.
The World Championships run from Thursday 13th August through to Monday 17th August.
The programme for the event is
Thursday 13th August: men's qualifiers
Friday 14th August: women's qualifiers
Saturday 15th August: men's final, including team event (also, boys' invitational schools biathlon)
Sunday 16th August: women's final, including team event (also, girls' invitational schools biathlon)
Monday 17th August: men's and women's team relays
Tickets are only required for Saturday 15th August and Sunday 16th August - admission is free for the Thursday, Friday and Monday.
There is a wide range of ticket packages for the finals days - for full details click here.
Crystal Palace has a track record of modern pentathlon 'firsts'. In 1977 it hosted the first international pentathlon competition in the one-day format that is now standard in the sport.
Four years later Crystal Palace hosted the first Women's World Championships, when Wendy Norman, Sarah Parker and Kathy Tyler won the women's team gold for Great Britain.
It's the sixth time Great Britain has hosted the Modern Pentathlon World Championships. The last occasion was at Millfield in Somerset in 2001, when Britain's women collected four medals. Steph Cook won the individual gold with Georgina Harland taking bronze. Cook, Allenby and Sian Lewis combined to win team gold with Cook, Allenby and Harland winning team relay gold.
The 2009 Modern Pentathlon World Championships are the first World Championships to be held in London in an Olympic sport since 1986, when Australia beat England 2-1 in the men's hockey final.
For further information, please contact Steve Ballinger in the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 07765 071683 or visit the website www.pentathlongb.org
For further information about the 2009 Modern Pentathlon World Championships, which take place from 13 to 17 August at Crystal Palace in London, please see www.pentathlongb.org/mpwc
Modern Pentathlon World Championships less than 100 days away posted by Steve Ballinger on06-05-2009
The world’s top modern pentathletes will battle it out for honours in London when the World Championships get underway 99 days from today.
The event, which takes place at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, is the first World Championships in an Olympic sport to be held in London since 1986.
The World Championships run from Thursday 13th August through to Monday 17th August and will also be the first World Championships to feature the sport’s new combined run/shoot format.
Peter Hart, Pentathlon GB chief executive, said: “The World Championships are an important milestone in our preparation towards the London 2012 Olympic Games, both for athletes and officials.
“It is also exciting for us to host the first World Championships to feature the sport’s new format.”
Mhairi Spence, one of Britain’s top young pentathletes aiming to compete at the World Championships and then the 2012 Olympics, was a member of the GB team that won team silver and team relay silver at last year’s World Championships in Hungary.
She said: “I’m really excited about the World Championships.
“It’s great to have a major championships in your own country, particularly ahead of 2012. Hopefully it means we will get lots of home support.”
The modern pentathlon is one of Britain’s most successful Olympic sports and British athletes will be aiming to build on recent successes at Crystal Palace in August.
Heather Fell won the silver medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and silver at the 2008 World Cup Final. She ended 2008 ranked number one in the World. Katy Livingston won the individual bronze medal at last year’s World Championships.
Great Britain was one of just 10 nations to have the full complement of four pentathletes – two men and two women – competing at the Beijing Olympics.
The modern pentathlon is challenging and fascinating sport. Athletes have to master five very different disciplines – fencing, swimming and equestrian challenges, followed by the new climax to the event, the combined run/shoot.
Tickets for the 2009 Modern Pentathlon World Championships will go on sale shortly.
The programme for the World Championships is:
Thursday 13th August: men’s qualifiers
Friday 14th August: women’s qualifiers
Saturday 15th August: men’s final, including team event
Sunday 16th August: women’s final, including team event
Monday 17th August: team relay competitions
Crystal Palace has a track record of modern pentathlon ‘firsts’. In 1977 it hosed the first international pentathlon competition in a one-day format.
Four years later Crystal Palace hosted the first Women’s World Championships.
Great Britain last hosted the Modern Pentathlon World Championships at Millfield in Somerset in 2001.
The last World Championships held in an Olympic sport in London was in hockey, when Australia beat England 2-1 in the men’s final.
For further information, please contact Steve Ballinger in the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 07765 071683 or visit the website www.pentathlongb.org
For further information about the 2009 Modern Pentathlon World Championships, which take place from 13 to 17 August at Crystal Palace in London, please see www.pentathlongb.org/mpwc
Interview with Sam posted by John Woodbridge on02-04-2008
See the BBC interview with Sam Weale here.
Britain’s Fell strikes gold at Modern Pentathlon World Cup posted by Steve Ballinger on31-03-2008
Heather Fell rounded off a terrific weekend for British modern pentathlon by striking gold at the World Cup at Millfield in Somerset today (Sunday).
The 25-year-old from Tavistock in Devon sealed her victory with a strong cross-country run to win her first World Cup gold and her second World Cup medal.
It followed hot on the heels of Sam Weale’s bronze medal for Great Britain in the men’s final yesterday’s (Saturday) – his first World Cup medal.
“I’m ecstatic,” said a delighted Fell. “I went into the competition hoping for a top-eight finish so to win it was great.
“I had a bit of a shocker in the run in the semi-final on Friday. I felt quite heavy and I only just made it into the final, which knocked my confidence a bit,” she added. “I was excited just to be in the top 36, so to win it today is brilliant.”
Fell, who won the 2003 World Junior Championships, but then suffered a series of injuries, put together an outstanding sequence in the five modern pentathlon disciplines today, including shooting a personal best, swimming her best time of the year and completing one of only two clear rounds in the riding arena.
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB’s performance director, said: “Nobody could come close to Heather in the run today. It was a fantastic finish to the competition.
“She struggled a bit in the fencing, but she recovered in the second half and that was crucial for her confidence. Her swim was fantastic and she produced the best ride of the day.”
Fell produced a strong performance in the final discipline of the day – the 3k cross-country – to win gold.
She went into the run with the most points accumulated from the other four disciplines, which means she set off first on the run with a 10-second advantage over Egypt’s Aya Medany.
But Fell’s gold never looked in doubt – she led throughout the race, extending her lead it to cross the finishing line to win by 14 seconds.
Fell, who achieved the Olympic qualifying standard for Beijing 2008 by winning silver at last year’s European Championships, won her only other World Cup medal – a bronze – in Moscow in May last year.
Britain’s Georgina Harland produced another strong run at Millfield today to finish climb from 15th after four disciplines to seventh overall.
Mhairi Spence finished 15th overall, with Lindsey Weedon 20th and Katy Livingston 33rd.
Fell had taken the initiative early on, shooting 188 from a maximum possible 200 to score 1192 modern pentathlon points.
Her tally – a personal best - included five consecutive 10s from her first six shots to put her joint top of the leader board with Greece’s Donna Vakalis and Anna Arkhipenka of Belarus.
Weedon also shot well with a score of 179, including 48 from 50 for the last five shots. That netted her 1084 points for joint 13th.
Spence shot 176 for 1048 modern pentathlon points and joint 23rd, with Katy Livingston just behind her in 27th with 173 for 1012 modern pentathlon points.
Harland, Britain’s Athens 2004 Olympic bronze medallist, scored 172 – a repeat of her strong semi-final performance – for 1000 pentathlon points and joint 30th.
Spence climbed up the rankings in the second element of the modern pentathlon – the fencing. She won 20 contests and lost 15 to score 880 point, climbing to 18th place overall with 1808 points.
Weedon and Livingston went into the third discipline, the 200m swim, joint 20th. Livingston netted 832 points from her 18 wins and 17 defeats in the fencing and Weedon 760 from 15 wins and 20 defeats, putting them both on 1844 points overall.
Harland won 17 and lost 18, also, adding 808 points to her score, taking it to 1808 and 23rd position.
But Fell was still leading the British challenge in 14th on 1952, netting 760 points from her 15 victories and 20 defeats in the fencing salle.
Lithuania’s Donata Rimsaite led the way after two disciplines on 2072 points.
Fell continued her consistent series in the pool, clocking a time of 2:14.05 - almost three seconds faster than her semi-final time on Friday - to finish fourth in the fastest heat of the 200m freestyle.
That gave her 1312 points, taking her total to 3264 and pushing her up to sixth in the overall rankings with two disciplines remaining.
Spence continued her climb up the rankings too. She swam 2:17.64 for 1272 modern pentathlon points, taking her to 10th overall on 3200 points.
Livingston recorded a time of 2:18.37 for 1260 points and a total of 3104, putting her 19th overall, one place ahead of Georgina Harland, who continued her progress up the rankings with a swim of 2:16.39 – the sixth fastest time in the field. That netted her 1284 points, taking her to 3092.
Weedon’s time of 2:21.35 earned her 1224 points, putting her 23rd overall with 3068 points.
Egypt’s Aya Medany – the 2007 World Cup Final champion - led the field with 3292 points after three disciplines.
The equestrian element of the modern pentathlon can be notoriously unpredictable with riders allocated their horses by drawing lots and only having 20 minutes with their horse before going into the show jumping arena.
But that didn’t stop Fell, who produced the perfect ride to top the leader board at the end of the fourth discipline.
Fell was paired with GV, a seven-year-old chestnut mare, and produced a clear round in 67 seconds – four seconds within the allotted time, to bag 1200 modern pentathlon points. It was one of just two clear rounds in the final.
That gave her a total of 4464 points – putting her 40 points clear of Medany in second and giving her a 10-second head start over the Egyptian for the 3k run.
Harland, riding the six-year-old chestnut gelding Ozzie, had one refusal and 14 seconds worth of penalty points from the riding to accumulate 1104 modern pentathlon points, taking her total to 4196 and 15th place going into the run.
Weedon rode well too. Riding 14-year-old Cassidy, a chestnut gelding, she had just three rails down and came four seconds within the time limit to amass 1116 points and a total of 4184. That put her one place behind Harland, in 16th, going into the run.
Spence, meanwhile, dropped a place to 12th overall after having five fences down and going two seconds over the time allowed on 10-year-old bay gelding Stanley. That gave her 148 penalty points and meant she added 1052 modern pentathlon points to her haul, taking her total score to 4252 ahead of the run.
Livingston meanwhile dropped down the field to 31st after amassing 116 time penalties and 316 jumping penalties on Firkin, a 12-year-old bay mare. That gave her 768 points from the ride, raking her total to 3872.
So Britain went into the final element of the modern pentathlon, the 3k cross- country run, with four athletes in the top-20.
Fell’s time of 11:06.54 in the 3k run was enough to earn her 1056 modern pentathlon points to take her final total for the day to 5520.
Harland ran 10:43.52 for 1148 points and a total of 5344, while Spence ran 11:31.39 for a total of 5208.
Weedon clocked 11:44.46 for 904 pentathlon points and a total of 5088, while Livingston’s 12:45.57 earned her 660 points and a total of 4532.
Today’s results followed on from the success of Britain’s men in the men’s final yesterday. Sam Weale won the bronze medal – his first World Cup medal – with British team-mate Nick Woodbridge coming home in eighth.
Those results give the pair more points on the Olympic qualifying ranking points and increase their chances of a place on the team for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. A male British modern pentathlete hasn’t competed at an Olympic Games since 1996.
Women’s final positions:
Gold: HEATHER FELL (GBR) 5520 points
Silver: Aya Medany (EGY) 5464 points
Bronze: Donata Rimsaite (LTU) 5420 points
7th: GEORGINA HARLAND (GBR) 5344 points
15th: MHAIRI SPENCE (GBR) 5208 points
20th : LINDSEY WEEDON (GBR) 5088 points
33rd: KATY LIVINGSTON (GBR) points
Round three of the 2008 Modern Pentathlon World Cup was at Millfield School in Street, Somerset.
Further information on the Millfield round of the World Cup can be found at the competition website at www.pentathlongb.org/internationals/ <http://www.pentathlongb.org/internationals/>
Marks & Spencer is providing professional assistance in the delivery of the Millfield World Cup as part of the FTSE 100 - British Olympic Association Initiative.
A total of 36 men and 36 women will compete in the modern pentathlon at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Up to two athletes of each sex can compete, subject to qualification through performances at a series of pre-determined events.
Britain’s Katy Livingston and Heather Fell have already achieved the Olympic qualifying standard by virtue of top-eight finishes at last year’s European Championships. A further qualifying opportunity is at the World Championships in Hungary at the end of May.
For further information about the Millfield World Cup or the GB modern pentathlon team, members of the media can contact Steve Ballinger at Matchtight Ltd on 07765 071 683.
Britain’s Weale strikes bronze at Millfield World Cup posted by Steve Ballinger on29-03-2008
Britain’s Sam Weale is celebrating his first Modern Pentathlon World Cup medal after winning bronze at Millfield in Somerset today (Saturday).
The 26-year-old capped a terrific performance on home soil to capture bronze, with fellow Brit Nick Woodbridge coming home in eighth.
It gives a big boost to both of their campaigns to qualify for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, earning additional points that push them up the Olympic qualifying ranking list. A British male modern pentathlete hasn’t competed at the Olympics since Richard Phelps in 1996.
Weale, who is originally from Yeovil, Somerset and trains at the Pentathlon GB high performance centre at the University of Bath, said: “I’m delighted to get on the podium, especially with the high standard of competition that was here.
“Hopefully this is the first of many medals. I’m still only 26, so I can build on this,” he added. “There will be a lot more World Cups and hopefully Beijing ahead of me.
“I can’t get too excited just yet though, but it’s looking good. I’ve been up and down with injuries in the last few years, but I feel as though I’ve improved a lot this year and this is definitely a step forward for me.”
At the end of 12 hours of fierce competition across the five modern pentathlon disciplines, the medals finally came down to a 3k run in a torrential downpour.
Weale went into the race in fourth and caught third placed Michal Michalik of the Czech Republic after 500m, but was then caught himself by Italian Nicola Benedetti after 1k. They matched each other stride for stride, overtaking Dzmitry Maliakh of Belarus, who had been second, with about 600m remaining.
Weale put in a determined sprint to try to break the Italian’s spirit 500m from home, but Benedetti reeled him back in and then passed him with just metres to spare to take silver.
“I made the decision to go with 500m to go, but I knew Benedetti would be strong,” added Weale.
Woodbridge, who is originally from Shropshire but trains in Bath, came home in eighth and Ondrej Polivka of the Czech Republic took gold.
Jan Bartu, performance director of Pentathlon GB, said: “This was one of the toughest days for athletes that I have ever seen. Both Sam and Nick demonstrated a high standard today and I’m unable to say they failed in anything.
“There were ups and downs for them, but they kept going and maximised their potential in their strongest events.
“There’s still a long way to go to Beijing, but if they keep competing this way I have no doubt they will make it,” he said.
Woodbridge, had climbed from 26th in the first discipline, to fifth going into the run.
“If you’d asked me before I would definitely have taken eighth, but it was a bit frustrating to lose three places in the run,” he said. “I’m going to put that behind me now and look forward to the next competitions.”
Weale’s run of 9:49.14 earned him 1044 modern pentathlon points to finish on 5380 points. Polivka netted 5392 and Benedetti 5384. Woodbridge competed the run in 10:35.28 for 860 points and finished with a total of 5188.
Weale started the day brightly in the tense atmosphere of the shooting range. He produced a consistent shoot, with none of his shots falling outside the nine circle.
The Somerset pentathlete shot 185 from a maximum 200 for 1156 modern pentathlon points and fifth place after the first discipline. He ended his shoot well, hitting 47 from a possible 50.
Woodbridge also shot well, scoring 174 from a maximum 200 for 1024 pentathon points and 26th place. Meliakh from Belarus led the field after the first discipline, dropping just nine points from his maximum 200. His performance included six consecutive 10s.
Weale and Woodbridge both kept up their challenge in the second discipline, the fencing. Both Brits won more bouts than they lost, with Woodbridge scoring 20 wins and 15 defeats for 880 points and Weale scoring 18 and 17 for 820 points.
Woodbridge’s performance included a victory over Hungary’s reigning World and European champion, Viktor Horvath, while Weale beat Russia’s reigning Olympic champion Andrei Moiseev.
Polivka (Czech Republic) moved into top spot after the fencing with a total of 2144 modern pentathlon points, while Weale was in a healthy joint sixth on 1976 going to the swim, and Woodbridge had soared up the rankings to 18th on 1904.
Both Brits are strong, competitive swimmers, and both were in the fastest heat for the third modern pentathlon discipline, the 200m freestyle.
Woodbridge once again made the most of powerful swimming. Russia’s Alexei Velokodnyi went out fast at the start and led the race until the final turn. But Woodbridge overhauled him with 50m to go, although it’s time rather than positions that determine points from the swim in the modern pentathlon. He maintained his form to touch in 1:59.21, marginally slower than his time in Thursday’s semi.
It was the quickest time for the swim and enough to earn him 1372 points to take his tally to 3276 points overall.
Weale came fourth in the heat in 2:04.00 – seventh-hundredths of a second faster than his semi-final swim. That earned him 1312 points, taking his total to 3288.
It meant with three of the five disciplines complete, Britain’s two finalists were both in the top six, with Weale fifth and Woodbridge sixth. Polivka remained at the head of the field on 3416 points.
The equestrian element of the modern pentathlon can be unpredictable, with lots drawn to pair athletes with horses, and the riders only having 20 minutes to warm-up with their allocated horse.
But Woodbridge and Weale kept up their challenge in the riding arena. Woodbridge was the first of the British pair to go, riding 10-year-old bay gelding Toby.
He was clear over the first half of the course, before his horse refused once at fence seven, then hit two other fences to earn 96 riding penalties. He also received 52 time penalties for going 13 seconds over the allocated course time of 71 seconds. That gave him 1052 riding points and a total 4328.
Next up was Weale, who drew a five-year-old grey gelding called Max. The pair hit five fences, including the last three, as well as over-running the time by three seconds, leading to a total of 152 penalties for 1048 riding points.
But Woodbridge and Weale then watched two of the athletes that had been ahead of them going into the ride both come a cropper in the show jumping arena. First Hungary’s Viktor Horvath, who been fourth, could only muster 864 points from the riding, then David Svoboda of the Czech Republic, who had been third, had an even worse ride, scoring just 352 points.
Polivka dropped down to second overall with a score of 1032, total 4448, and Meliakh produced a terrific round, sustaining just 56 penalty points to return to the top of the leader board with 4524 points.
Michel Michalik of the Czech Republic produced a strong round, scoring 1116 points, to leapfrog Weale and Woodbridge, moving into third place.
But with just the 3k run remaining, the Brits were in fine fettle - Weale had climbed to fourth overall and Woodbridge was in fifth.
Final positions:
Gold: Ondrej Polivka (CZE) 5392 points
Silver: Nicola Benedetti (ITA) 5384 points
Bronze: SAM WEALE (GBR) 5380 points
8th: NICK WOODBRIDGE (GBR) 5188 points
Tomorrow (Sunday) sees the women return to action in their final. Great Britain has five women in the final – Heather Fell, Georgina Harland, Katy Livingston, Mhairi Spence and Lindsey Weedon.
Round three of the 2008 Modern Pentathlon World Cup is at Millfield School in Street, Somerset. Details of the programme for Millfield are as follows:
Saturday 29th March: men’s final
Sunday 30th March: women’s final
Further information on the Millfield round of the World Cup, including a full list of entries, can be found at the competition website at www.pentathlongb.org/internationals/ <http://www.pentathlongb.org/internationals/>
Marks & Spencer is providing professional assistance in the delivery of the Millfield World Cup as part of the FTSE 100 - British Olympic Association Initiative.
A total of 36 men and 36 women will compete in the modern pentathlon at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Up to two athletes of each sex can compete, subject to qualification through performances at a series of pre-determined events.
Britain’s Katy Livingston and Heather Fell have already achieved the Olympic qualifying standard by virtue of top-eight finishes at last year’s European Championships. A further qualifying opportunity is at the World Championships in Hungary at the end of May.
For further information about the Millfield World Cup or the GB modern pentathlon team, members of the media can contact Steve Ballinger at Matchtight Ltd on 07765 071 683.
Five British women through to Millfield final posted by Steve Ballinger on28-03-2008
Five British women will have the opportunity to battle it out for honours in Sunday’s final of the Modern Pentathlon World Cup at Millfield in Somerset.
Mhairi Spence, Georgina Harland, Katy Livingston and Heather Fell all qualified from semi-final B today, with Lindsey Weedon qualifying from semi C.
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB performance director, said: “It wasn’t that easy today. The pressure was on, but the most important thing is that all the major players are through to the final.
“We’ll now see if they can improve on Sunday, but we know it will be tough,” he added.
Spence, the 2006 European Championship bronze medallist, led the way for Britain with the fourth best shoot in the semi, scoring 183 from 200 for 1132 modern pentathlon points.
Heather Fell, the 2007 European Championship silver medallist, was just one place and one point behind her with a score of 182 for 1120 modern pentathlon points.
Katy Livingston, winner of the first World Cup event of the year in Cairo, was 20th with 173 for 1012 points. Georgina Harland, Britain’s Athens 2004 Olympic bronze medallist, produced a solid shoot, scoring 172 for 1000 modern pentathlon points.
Spence headed the leader board after another good performance in the fencing. She won 23 of her contests and lost 10 – the second best performance in semi B earning her 1000 points.
Harland climbed two places to 20th with 17 wins and 16 defeats in the fencing for 832 points, one place ahead of Fell, whose 12 victories and 21 defeats earned her 680 points.
Livingston went into the 200m freestyle swim in 23rd after scoring 776 points in the fencing from 15 wins and 18 defeats. But she pulled out the stops in the pool, taking almost three seconds off her personal best with a time of 2:16.16 for 1288 points – enough to go into the final discipline, the 3k run in 18th place.
Spence meanwhile was still at the head of the field, after swimming 2:23.64 for 1200 points.
Harland produced the sixth fastest time of the semi – 2:16.53 – more than six seconds faster than her time at last year’s World Championships for 1284 points, ensuring she went into the run in 14th. Fell clocked a time of 2:17.03 for 1276 points, putting her 17th going into the run.
With the top 18 in each semi going through to Sunday’s final, the pressure was on.
Spence was able to control the race from the front, making sure she crossed the finish line first in 12.01.03 for 4168 to qualify in style for Sunday’s final.
Harland produced a solid 11:13.53 for 1028 points, giving her a total of 4144 points and ninth place overall.
Livingston’s 11:04.48 was the fourth fastest time and gave her joint 13th place overall with 4140 points. Fell’s time of 11:06.61 was the sixth fastest in the semi - qualifying her for the final in 17th on 4132 points.
Afterwards Spence, originally from Inverness but now training at the Pentathlon GB high performance centre at the University of Bath, said: “It was a great day for me. My shoot was about average for me, but I fenced really well and I was pleased with that.
“I had a nice steady swim and the run was controlled. I just hope I can repeat that in the final on Sunday.”
Harland was also pleased. “It was a good solid day. We wipe the slate clean now and it’s all about Sunday
“It was great to get a good start with my shooting and my swim was good. Then I just wanted to control it through the run.”
Livingston, originally from Redcar but now training in Bath, said she planned to swim hard to make sure she didn’t give herself too much to do in the run.
“I went flat out on the swim. I had a plan and I stuck to it,” she said. “That was a personal best by almost three seconds, so I was really pleased with it.
“I felt strong on the run and I didn’t really have to stretch myself,” she added.
Fell, who lives near Tavistock in Devon, said: “It was a lot harder today than it should have been, but I’ve been training hard this week, and hopefully by Sunday I will have tapered enough.
“On the last lap of the run I thought I’d had it, but when I realised I was in a crucial position, I found a tiny bit more and I just had enough. The crowd helped me,” she added.
Lindsey Weedon produced a valiant run to qualify from semi-final C. Weedon went into the run in 19th place – one place off a qualifying berth.
She climbed to 17th, before dropping down to 19th again with just under 1k to go. But she managed to reel in Czech athlete Lucie Grolichova with 500m to go to secure the last qualifying place in Sunday’s final.
Earlier she got her campaign off to a good start with a solid fencing performance. Her 18 wins and 15 defeats put here joint 11th with 860 points. But she dropped out of the top 18 after the second discipline, the shoot, when she hit 166 from 200 for 928 points and 21st overall.
She produced the ninth fastest time in her semi – 2:21.02 for 1228 points – putting her just outside the qualification zone for the final ahead of the run.
“I’m really pleased to be in the final,” she said. “I thought it was now or never when I went past the Czech girl.
“It was a good run, but my shooting was a bit of a let down today, so I need to work on that. But I get another go on Sunday now.”
Lucy Ferguson finished 27th in semi-final B on 3776 points, with Katy Burke 30th on 3652 points.
Nicola Rowley, Lydia Rosling, Charlotte Grandfield and Louise Helyer missed out on the final from semi C.
Grandfield produced the third fastest performance in the pool in her semi with 2:16.76 for 1280 points, with Helyer fourth in 2:18.49 for 1260 points. They ended in 33rd (3280 points) and 30th (3600) respectively. Nicola Rowley and Lydia Rosling finished 25th and 26th respectively with 3676 and 3660 points.
Tomorrow (Saturday) sees the first of the finals, with Nick Woodbridge and Sam Weale both competing in the men’s final.
The pair are both aiming to produce solid performances to boost their chances of becoming the first British male modern pentathlete to compete at an Olympic Games since 1996.
Admission to Millfield for the event is free, with the action due to get underway with the shooting at 8am and reaching its climax with the 3k run, scheduled to start at 7pm.
Round three of the 2008 Modern Pentathlon World Cup is at Millfield School in Street, Somerset. Details of the programme for Millfield are as follows:
Friday 28th March: women’s semi-finals
Saturday 29th March: men’s final
Sunday 30th March: women’s final
Further information on the Millfield round of the World Cup, including a full list of entries, can be found at the competition website at www.pentathlongb.org/internationals/ <http://www.pentathlongb.org/internationals/>
Marks & Spencer is providing professional assistance in the delivery of the Millfield World Cup as part of the FTSE 100 - British Olympic Association Initiative.
A total of 36 men and 36 women will compete in the modern pentathlon at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Up to two athletes of each sex can compete, subject to qualification through performances at a series of pre-determined events.
Britain’s Katy Livingston and Heather Fell have already achieved the Olympic qualifying standard by virtue of top-eight finishes at last year’s European Championships. A further qualifying opportunity is at the World Championships in Hungary at the end of May.
For further information about the Millfield World Cup or the GB modern pentathlon team, members of the media can contact Steve Ballinger at Matchtight Ltd on 07765 071 683.
British pair through to Saturday’s Millfield World Cup final posted by Steve Ballinger on27-03-2008
Two British men will contest the men’s final of the Modern Pentathlon World Cup at Millfield in Somerset on Saturday (29th March).
Nick Woodbridge and Sam Weale both qualified safely for the final from today’s semis.
It gives them an opportunity to score more ranking points on Saturday towards their campaigns to qualify for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. A British male modern pentathlete hasn’t competed at an Olympic Games since 1996.
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB performance director, said: “The results today mean we have qualified men for finals at three consecutive World Cups this year, which is a step-up in terms of their delivery under pressure.
“We could also see room for improvement, for instance, in Nick’s shooting and Sam’s fencing,” he added. “I’m glad they’ve got another opportunity to improve on Saturday and I’m looking forward to seeing them earn some valuable points on home soil.”
Woodbridge, originally from Shropshire but now training at the Pentathlon GB high performance centre at the University of Bath, comfortably qualified from semi-final C today.
He scored 16 wins and 10 defeats in the fencing for seventh place and 928 modern pentathlon points and followed that up with a score of 172 in the shoot for 1000 points, to put him joint ninth overall in his semi after two disciplines.
The 21-year-old produced a trademark powerful swim to climb to fifth after three of the four disciplines contested in the semis. His time of 1:59.02 was more than a second and a half faster than any other in his semi for 1372 modern pentathlon points.
He rounded off his campaign with a run of 10:03.83 for 988 points and a total score of 4288 to top semi-final C.
“It was all about qualifying today,” said Woodbridge. “I was pleased with my fencing and my swim is always solid. I was feeling all right for the run, so I knew if I was up there I’d be safe.
“My shooting score of 172 wasn’t great. It was good enough for today, but it will have to be better in the final.”
Sam Weale started well, equalling his personal best in the shooting range with a score of 186 from a maximum 200 to start his campaign with 1168 modern pentathlon points.
The 25-year-old, originally from Yeovil but now based in Bath, followed that up with a swim of 2:04.07 – the sixth best in his semi - for 1312 points to top semi-final A at the halfway mark – just ahead of Hungary’s reigning World and European champion Viktor Horvath.
But a disappointing performance in the fencing saw him drop down the field to 12th ahead of the run. Weale scored nine victories and 16 defeats in the fencing for 676 modern pentathlon points.
With just 12 athletes qualifying for the final from each semi, he had to produce a controlled run to secure a berth in the final.
Caught up in a pack containing the 11th to 14th runners early on, he eased his way into ninth by the halfway mark, finishing in 9:34.54 for joint sixth overall in semi-final A with 4260 points.
“I enjoyed the first two events today, but I switched off a bit in the fencing and I’ve learned a lesson from that,” said Weale.
“The run was a bit harder than I thought, but I knew I’d be able to make the final,” he added. “I could see who was behind me, and there was plenty more there if I’d needed it.
“Everyone starts from zero again in the final,” he added.
Liverpool’s David Atkinson produced the best shooting performance of any British athlete on the day, with a score of 190 from 200 for 1216 points. He ended his campaign with a time of 9:30.62 in the run to finish 18th in semi-final C with 4108 points. That one place ahead of Bath’s Ben McLean, with 4084 points, whose 2:02.75 in the 200m freestyle swim was the third fastest time in his semi. Gareth Evans, who lives in Bath, came 24th in semi-final C with 3684 points.
Hampshire’s Russell North was Britain’s highest placed finished in semi-final B in 20th with 4104 points, including 1296 from his 2:05.51 in the pool, the fourth fastest time in his semi. Charlie Unwin, from Sandhurst, came 24th with 3864; Sam Sanderson, the 17-year-old Yorkshire pentathlete was 25th with 3812 points and Nick Zissler from Durham was 27th with 3596.
Jack Legon, from Croydon, came 22nd in semi A with 3820, Alex Hepworth finished 24th with 3692 and Simon Taylor, from Epsom in Surrey, was 26th with 3528.
Tomorrow (Friday) sees Britain’s women compete in the semi-finals for a place in the Sunday’s final.
Full results are posted at www.pentathlongb.org/internationals/
Round three of the 2008 Modern Pentathlon World Cup is at Millfield School in Street, Somerset. Details of the programme for Millfield are as follows:
Thursday 27th March: men’s semi-finals
Friday 28th March: women’s semi-finals
Saturday 29th March: men’s final
Sunday 30th March: women’s final
Further information on the Millfield round of the World Cup, including a full list of entries, can be found at the competition website at www.pentathlongb.org/internationals/
Marks & Spencer is providing professional assistance in the delivery of the Millfield World Cup as part of the FTSE 100 - British Olympic Association Initiative.
A total of 36 men and 36 women will compete in the modern pentathlon at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Up to two athletes of each sex can compete, subject to qualification through performances at a series of pre-determined events.
Britain’s Katy Livingston and Heather Fell have already achieved the Olympic qualifying standard by virtue of top-eight finishes at last year’s European Championships. A further qualifying opportunity is at the World Championships in Hungary at the end of May.
For further information about the Millfield World Cup or the GB modern pentathlon team, members of the media can contact Steve Ballinger at Matchtight Ltd on 07765 071 683.
British pentathletes prepare to take-on the world at Millfield posted by Steve Ballinger on26-03-2008
British pentathletes will take-on the best in the world at the Millfield round of the Modern Pentathlon World Cup, which gets underway tomorrow (Thursday).
Four days of top-flight competition culminate with the men’s final on Saturday (29th March) and the women’s final on Sunday (30th March).
The event, which will feature around 150 athletes from 30 countries, is particularly important this year ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Nick Woodbridge, Sam Weale and Ben McLean spearhead the British challenge in the men’s competition, where the field includes Olympic champion Andrei Moiseev from Russia and Viktor Horvath, Hungary’s reigning World and European champion.
The British men are aiming to secure ranking points that would give them a chance of becoming the first British male modern pentathlete to compete at an Olympics since Richard Phelps at Atlanta in 1996.
A strong contingent of British women compete will compete in Friday’s semi-finals, aiming to secure places in Sunday’s final.
Athens 2004 Olympic Games bronze medallist Georgina Harland won the Millfield round of the World Cup last year. She is joined by Heather Fell – the 2007 European Championships silver medallist – and Katy Livingston, winner of the opening round of the 2008 World Cup in Cairo. Both Fell and Livingston have already achieved the Beijing 2008 Olympic qualifying standard.
Mhairi Spence, bronze medallist at the 2006 European Championships, is also in action at Millfield, where opponents include Zsuzsanna Voros, Hungary’s 2004 Olympic gold medallist, and France’s Amelie Caze, the reigning World champion.
Round three of the 2008 Modern Pentathlon World Cup is at Millfield School in Street, Somerset. Details of the programme for Millfield are as follows:
Thursday 27th March: men’s semi-finals
Friday 28th March: women’s semi-finals
Saturday 29th March: men’s final
Sunday 30th March: women’s final
Further information of the Millfield round of the World Cup can be found at the competition website at www.pentathlongb.org/internationals/
Marks & Spencer is providing professional assistance in the delivery of the Millfield World Cup as part of the FTSE 100 - British Olympic Association Initiative.
The event is being supported by the UK Sport Major Events programme.
A total of 36 men and 36 women will compete in the modern pentathlon at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Up to two athletes of each sex can compete, subject to qualification through performances at a series of pre-determined events.
Britain’s Katy Livingston and Heather Fell have already achieved the Olympic qualifying standard by virtue of top-eight finishes at last year’s European Championships. A further qualifying opportunity is at the World Championships in Hungary at the end of May.
For further information about the Millfield World Cup or the GB modern pentathlon team, members of the media can contact Steve Ballinger at Matchtight Ltd on 07765 071 683.
| Next | Last |