PGB Ranking Lists 10/2013 and 11/2013 are now available in the Performance Section.

Youth Team Selections will be announced 14th May 2013

Britain’s Jamie Cooke won the first Modern Pentathlon World Cup medal of his career today (Sunday), and he did it in style, taking gold in Budapest.

 
The 22-year-old, who won the World Junior Championships in Argentina in 2011, had to produce a gritty and spirited performance to battle back from 24th place after the fencing.
 
But the world number 40 ranked athlete was the fastest in the pool, went clear in the ride and then produced a terrific run/shoot to take gold.
 
It rounded off a fantastic weekend for the British team in Budapest that had already seen reigning world champion Mhairi Spence take bronze in the women’s final yesterday (Saturday), while Sam Weale, competing at his first World Cup since London 2012, came home in sixth place today.
 
Cooke went into the run/shoot in fourth, 21 seconds behind event leader, Hungary’s world number two Adam Marosi, the bronze medallist at the London 2012 Olympics who had already won World Cup gold in Rio in March and silver in Palm Springs in February.
 
But Cooke overhauled him on the third visit to the shooting range, using just six shots to hit the five targets in 10.35 seconds. Marosi needed nine shots and 20 seconds to start his third of four 800m runs.
 
Cooke remained calm, again using just six shots to hit the five targets and left the range for the last time with a nine second lead over the Hungarian. Cooke’s lead never looked in danger on the last run and he crossed the line 10 seconds clear of Marosi.
 
Afterwards Cooke said: “This was my first World Cup medal, so I’m so happy. I never thought I would do this after the fencing this morning, but I had a good swim, a good ride and a good combined.  My shooting was definitely the key today.
 
“Adam (Marosi) was awesome all day and I was definitely scared with him behind me at the end,” he added. “I just ran as fast as I could.”
 
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: "This was a fantastic conclusion to the four World Cups this year and a good start to the Rio Olympic cycle for us.
 
“It was an amazing performance by Jamie and a massive milestone for Pentathlon GB.  He seemed to be fearless in the combined event today. It was the hardest World Cup this year, all the top athletes were competing here, but it all came together for Jamie.
 
“I was pleased to see two athletes finishing in the top six in the men’s final. It’s the first time I can recall that happening in my 15 years as Performance Director,” he added. “It was good to Sam Weale return after struggling with a foot injury. He seems more relaxed and that was probably the best combination I’ve seen from him today.  He showed he has matured as an athlete.”
 
Weale made a good start to his return to international after London 2012, winning 19 of his 35 fencing contests for joint 14th place with 856 pentathlon points. Cooke’s 15 wins put him 24th with 760 points.
 
Cooke produced a trademark strong swim to climb 10 places. His 200m freestyle time of 1:54.88 in the 25m pool was more than a second faster than the next quickest time and earned 1424 points.
 
Weale’s 2:02.02 was the 12th fastest time of the day, promoting him to joint 12th ahead of the ride.
 
Korea’s Jinhwa Jung led, but at this stage the top-15 athletes were separated by just 116 points, worth only 29 seconds in the run/shoot.
 
Both of the Brits rode well to move into the top-five ahead of the run/shoot. Cooke produced a clean and tidy round, going clear within the allowed time to bag the maximum 1200 points. That promoted him to fourth place overall.
 
Weale looked set to go clear too, but he had the third from last fence down in an otherwise clear round. That added 1160 points to his total, putting him joint fifth going into the run/shoot.
 
Cooke started just 10 seconds behind Hungary’s leader Adam Marosi, with Weale a further 11 seconds back. Marosi and compatriot Bence Demeter, now second, were the only other two riders to go clear in the time allowed in the ride.
 
And Cooke went on to take gold with the fastest run/shoot time of the day, clocking 11:18.75. Weale’s 11:41.61 saw him end the day in sixth, 34 seconds behind his team-mate.
 
World Cup 4 in Budapest is the last opportunity for athletes to score points to qualify for the World Cup Final, which takes place at Nizhny-Novgorod in Russia from 31 May to 2 June.
 
World Cup 4 results
Gold:  Jamie Cooke (GBR) – 5872 points
Silver:  Adam Marosi (HUN) – 5832 points
Bronze:  Jean Maxence Berrou (FRA) – 5768 points
6th: Sam Weale (GBR) – 5736 points
 
 
The GB team for Modern Pentathlon World Cup 4 is:
 
Women
Katy Burke – 01.06,89, Cleveleys, near Blackpool - Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.90, Clitheroe, Lancashire - Bath
Mhairi Spence – 31.08.85, Farr, near Inverness - Bath
 
Men
Jamie Cooke  - 03.03.91, Cheltenham - Bath
Sam Weale – 09.02.82, East Coker near Yeovil, Somerset
 
World Cup 4 schedule
Thursday 9 May – women’s semi-finals
Friday 10 May – men’s semi-finals
Saturday 11 May – women’s final
Sunday 12 May – men’s final
 
 
2013 senior modern pentathlon calendar
 
20-24 February: World Cup 1 – Palm Springs, USA
20-24 March: World Cup 2 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
17-21 April: World Cup 3 – Chengdu, China
8-12 May: World Cup 4 – Budapest, Hungary
31 May – 2 June: World Cup Final – Nizhny-Novgorod, Russia
11-17 July: European Championships – Drzonkow, Poland
15-21 August: World Championships – Kaoshiung, Chinese Taipei
 
Pentathlon GB is the National Governing Body for the Olympic Sport of Modern Pentathlon. For further information please see www.pentathlongb.org
 
You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PentathlonGB and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
The modern pentathlon sees athletes tackle fencing, swimming, show jumping and a run/shoot all in one day.
 
Great Britain's women have collected an impressive haul of five modern pentathlon medals from the last four Olympic Games, with Steph Cook winning gold at Sydney 2000 and Kate Allenby bronze, Georgina Harland taking bronze at Athens in 2004, Heather Fell winning silver at Beijing in 2008 and Samantha Murray taking silver at London last year.

For further information members of the media can contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518.

Britain’s reigning modern pentathlon world champion Mhairi Spence won her first World Cup medal of the year, taking bronze in Budapest today (Saturday).
 
The 27-year-old London 2012 Olympian came home in third place behind the Ukrainian duo of Ganna Buriak – who won back-to-back World Cups - and Victoria Tereshuk, the Beijing 2008 Olympic bronze medallist.
 
Budapest was only Spence’s second World Cup since London 2012 and her performance was a marked improvement on her 33rd in Rio in March. It came a day before the anniversary of her World Championships victory in Rome last year. Team-mate Katy Burke finished in 22nd place today.
 
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: “Mhairi really produced a competitive performance today and she deserved third 100 per cent. It’s 12 months since she won her World Championships and this was another exciting day.”
 
Spence went into the run/shoot in joint first place alongside Buriak, but the Ukrainian made the decisive breakaway in the third of four 800m runs. Tereshuk, who started the run/shoot in eighth, moved into second spot just ahead of the final shoot.
 
Buriak held on for first, beating her compatriot by 11 seconds, with Spence comfortable in third a further 16 seconds behind, but 14 seconds clear of Hungary’s Leila Gyenesei.
 
The two Brits both made decent starts, with Spence sixth after the fencing and Burke seventh. Spence won 21 of her 35 fencing bouts, worth 904 pentathlon points, while Burke’s 20 victories earned her 880 pentathlon points. Italy’s Claudia Cesarini led with 29 wins.
 
Spence and Burke both moved into the top five with strong 200m freestyle performances. Spence’s 2:12.77 was the 10th fastest time of the day and was worth 1208 points, promoting her to fourth overall.
 
Burke’s 2:12.24 was the ninth fastest time, adding 1216 pentathlon points to her fencing total and putting her seventh overall going to the equestrian arena. Cesarini continued to lead.
 
Spence was one of only two riders to complete the riding course in the allowed time and so take the maximum 1200 points.
 
Her performance in the riding arena saw her go into the run/shoot in joint first place with Buriak. Gyenesei also achieved the maximum in the ride, to go into the run/shoot in third, 11 seconds behind Spence and Buriak.
 
Burke went into the run/shoot in seventh overall and 34 seconds off the lead after taking 1080 points from the ride.
 
Spence’s run/shoot time of 13:25.29 saw her secure a podium place, Burke’s challenge faded with a run/shoot of 14:06.89 for 22nd place.  
 
Tomorrow (Sunday) Britain’s Jamie Cooke and Sam Weale compete in the men’s final.
 
World Cup 4 in Budapest is the last opportunity for athletes to score points to qualify for the World Cup Final, which takes place at Nizhny-Novgorod in Russia from 31 May to 2 June.
 
World Cup 4 results
Gold: Ganna Buriak (UKR) – 5404 points
Silver: Victoria Tereshuk (UKR) – 5360 points
Bronze: Mhairi Spence (GBR) – 5292 points
22nd: Katy Burke (GBR) – 4992 points

Coaching in Modern Pentathlon has been traditionally ‘male only’ business in the recent past with few exceptions, not anymore. We have on the circuit relatively steady growing female coaching contingent this year. Kim Raisner – Germany, Lindsey Weedon – Ireland, Jelena Jienbalanova – Kazakhstan, Zsuzsana Voros – Hungary, Sylvie Cerna – Czech Republic, Corine Bouzou – France amongst others. That is very positive development for the sport and not just because of the equality profiling.

Women in the sport’s most critical job bring natural integrity, civilised manners and empathy in comparison to the rest of us, male specimen. Female coaches do not shout at the athletes from the grandstand, actually they do not shout at all, they rarely display bad temper in public or use inappropriate language when addressing the referees, technical delegates or fellow male colleagues. I have also noticed that male coaching community tend to behave and groom better in the shared workplace. I leave this subject here because it has a potential to lead me to a minefield. Just to add that women interested in coaching should be welcomed and encouraged.

Mhairi Spence waited exactly 12 months for a podium finish in the top class event. 2012 World Champion performed today up to expectations benefitting from the top physical form, technical skills in the riding and shooting and hunger to prove. Mhairi’s fencing potential is out of question however some technical-tactical strategic thinking is imminent if she aspires to score close to 1000 points on every occasion in the visible future. We are hopeful Mhairi would acknowledge her undisputable potential moving the sights gradually towards the 2016 OG.   

It was demonstration of athleticism and improved skills by the Ukrainian athletes. Gana Buriak won back-to-back Chendgdu and Budapest, Victoria Tereschuk won Palm Springs and finished second in Budapest. British athletes need to take a note.   

Jamie Cooke and Sam Weale in the Budapest World Cup Finals start at 8:30 local time tomorrow, good luck.

Britain’s Jamie Cooke and Sam Weale both qualified safely for Sunday’s (12 May) final of Modern Pentathlon World Cup 4, finishing second and fourth in their respective semis in Budapest today (Friday).
 
The pressure was on for both athletes with top-eight finishes required in each of the three semis to be sure of progressing to the final and both Brits had to race hard during the run/shoot to be sure of securing automatic places.
 
But Cooke, Britain’s 2011 world junior champion, came home in second in semi-final A, and Weale made sure he would join him in the final at his first World Cup since the London 2012 Olympics by crossing the finish line in fourth in semi B.
 
“It was 100 per cent for the Brits today,” said Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director. “It was really tough and demanding today. The level of compeion was the highest of the four World Cups this year.”
 
With 80 athletes contesting the men’s event, the qualification round was split into three semi-finals with only the top eight finishers guaranteed to progress to Sunday’s final. The remaining 12 places in the final went to the highest points scorers across the three semis who hadn’t automatically qualified.
 
In semi-final A, Cooke started off his campaign in the fencing well, but he slipped down the field to end with 11 wins and 14 defeats for joint 16th place.  He clocked the fastest time of the three semis in the pool, with 1:55.18, to propel him to seventh overall going into the run/shoot.
 
His run/shoot time of 11:54.06 was the eighth fastest of the semi and saw him finish second overall, just a second behind Hungary’s Adam Marosi, the London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist, in a finish in which the eight automatic qualifiers were separated by just five seconds.
 
Weale made a strong start to his campaign, with the fourth fastest time in the pool in semi-final B. He clocked a 200m freestyle time of 2:01.28 in the 25m pool. He followed that up with 15 fencing victories from his 26 contests, the joint seventh best performance, putting him eighth overall going into the run/shoot.
 
Weale also made sure of a place in the final, but he had to work hard in a finish that saw the top-10 separated by just three seconds. Weale was a second behind Arthur Lanigan O’Keefe (IRL), Jean Maxence Berrou (FRA) and Ilia Frolov (RUS), who crossed the line together in joint first.
 
Tomorrow (Friday) reigning world champion Mhairi Spence and team-mate Katy Burke fly the flag for Great Britain in the women’s final.
 
World Cup 4 in Budapest is the last opportunity for athletes to score points to qualify for the World Cup Final, which takes place at Nizhny-Novgorod in Russia from 31 May to 2 June.
 

Hungarian Pentathlon Federation List of Honour would not fit on to few A4 format pages. Hegedus, Benedek, Torok, Balzco, Kelemen, Kancsal, Szombathelyi, Martinek, Fabian, Voros names of great athletes who over the decades created legacy of success. There are many more who won medals at the World Championships or contributed to the Hungarian Team podium finishes. Returning here is always a special occasion to remember ‘magnificent years’ of 5 days competition format, 22 calibre shooting, 10-12 hours fencing tournaments, 800m riding courses with 18 obstacles, 300m swim and 4000m run. Even now days when I think about 1979 World Championships in Budapest I can recall inhibiting cramps in my hand in the final hours of the fencing competition. Waking up the day after your body felt like you have spent the night in the tumble dryer… I can already hear the voices ‘old man talking’…

Anyway the fact is that Hungarian Pentathlon organise 6 international events on annual basis with the World Cup and Junior World Championships in 2013 respectively. They send teams to all major championships, organise several international training camps a year yet there is currently no Hungarian representative on the UIPM Technical Committee or the Executive Board. In my opinion that is an opportunity for more effective international integration gone missing.  I think that it would be fair and more productive for the Union to have automatic representation of the active National Federations on the technical and executive committees with general development of sport in mind.

We have been informed that the UIPM Competition Rules have been amended specifically for this World Cup. Something coaches and athletes intuitively resist. Sudden changes of written and published rules may jeopardize athlete’s efforts when newly introduced rule require behaviour change in the heat of the competition. Penalty of elimination for false start in the swimming, riding and the combined event is now in place. The warm-up before the combined event has changed to 30 minutes with unlimited shooting and running allowed. First victim of the rule amendments was young Lithuanian female athlete Venckauskaite, eliminated yesterday for false start in the swimming …  

Jamie Cooke returned on the World Cup circuit with improved fencing performance and in better physical shape compare to Rio de Janeiro competition. He shot well but the running performance surely surprised his adversaries who just could not come close to him today. Sam Weale survived another leg injury after National Selection 1 causing him missing the first three World Cups this year. Sam fenced over 900 points, swam perfect race however he had to run flat out in combination with the shooting within 15 seconds on each of the four legs to make the finals. Both British men will feature in the Sunday Finals, congratulations. Standard of the men’s competition is going through the roof here in Budapest. The good thing is that there was no one besides Frolov, Russia who could save some energy in the punishing heat and cutthroat semi-finals today. 

Mhairi Spence and Katy Burke on the blocks tomorrow in the morning let’s wish them all the best!   

Mhairi Spence, Britain’s reigning modern pentathlon world champion, qualified comfortably for the final of World Cup 4 in Budapest by winning her semi-final today (Thursday).
 
She will be joined in Saturday’s final by team-mate Katy Burke, who bagged a place in the final with 19th in the same semi.
 
But there was disappointment for London 2012 Olympic silver medallist Samantha Murray, who missed out on qualifying from the other semi, were she finished 23rd.
 
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said he was particularly pleased with Spence’s performance following her 33rd place finish at her only other World Cup of the year in Rio in March.
 
“Mhairi’s performance in Rio wasn’t up to her expectations and today she showed her fighting spirit and pulled it together under pressure,” he said.
 
Semi-final B started in the pool, where Burke’s 200m freestyle short course time of 2:10.53 time put her fifth overall, while Spence’s 2:12.48 saw her start the day in eighth.
 
They both remained in the top-10 after the fencing. Burke won 21 of her 33 bouts, the joint third best performance, putting her second overall going into the run/shoot. Spence also fenced well, with 19 wins to go into the run/shoot in sixth.
 
Spence produced a strong run/shoot, with a time of 13:37.47, the ninth fastest of the semi, to cross the finish line first, four seconds clear of Italy’s Gloria Tocchi.
 
Burke came home 57 seconds behind Burke in 19th. That meant she missed out on the 12 automatic qualification places from the semi, but it was good enough to earn her one of the 12 highest points scorer spots.
 
But Murray missed out on joining Spence and Burke in the final.  She was joint 19th after the fencing winning 15 of her 33 contests, with a disappointing run of defeats in the middle of her fence.
 
She produced the fastest swim of the day, with 2:08.55, to go into the run/shoot in eighth overall. But Murray used up the full 50 seconds on two of her four visits to the shooting range during the run/shoot, and ended her campaign in 23rd.
 
Tomorrow (Friday) Jamie Cooke and Sam Weale go in the men’s semis. Weale, a double Olympian, is competing at his first international event since London 2012.
 
World Cup 4 in Budapest is the last opportunity for athletes to score points to qualify for the World Cup Final, which takes place at Nizhny-Novgorod in Russia from 31 May to 2 June.
 
The GB team for Modern Pentathlon World Cup 4 is:
 
Women
Katy Burke – 01.06,89, Cleveleys, near Blackpool - Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.90, Clitheroe, Lancashire - Bath
Mhairi Spence – 31.08.85, Farr, near Inverness - Bath
 
Men
Jamie Cooke  - 03.03.91, Cheltenham - Bath
Sam Weale – 09.02.82, East Coker near Yeovil, Somerset
 
World Cup 4 schedule
Thursday 9 May – women’s semi-finals
Friday 10 May – men’s semi-finals
Saturday 11 May – women’s final
Sunday 12 May – men’s final
Monday 13 May – mixed relay
 
 
2013 senior modern pentathlon calendar
 
20-24 February: World Cup 1 – Palm Springs, USA
20-24 March: World Cup 2 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
17-21 April: World Cup 3 – Chengdu, China
8-12 May: World Cup 4 – Budapest, Hungary
31 May – 2 June: World Cup Final – Nizhny-Novgorod, Russia
11-17 July: European Championships – Drzonkow, Poland
15-21 August: World Championships – Kaoshiung, Chinese Taipei
 
Pentathlon GB is the National Governing Body for the Olympic Sport of Modern Pentathlon. For further information please see www.pentathlongb.org
 
You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PentathlonGB and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
The modern pentathlon sees athletes tackle fencing, swimming, show jumping and a run/shoot all in one day.
 
Great Britain's women have collected an impressive haul of five modern pentathlon medals from the last four Olympic Games, with Steph Cook winning gold at Sydney 2000 and Kate Allenby bronze, Georgina Harland taking bronze at Athens in 2004, Heather Fell winning silver at Beijing in 2008 and Samantha Murray taking silver at London last year.

For further information members of the media can contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518.

Congratulations to everyone who took part in the 2013 PGB Youth Selection Series that came to an end on Sunday 5th May 2013 at Hartpury. The Youth Ranking Lists 10/2013 and 11/2013 have now been produced and the Youth Team Selection Panel have met to select the teams for the 2013 Youth B European, Youth A European and Youth A World Championships. Both the ranking lists and team selections have been submitted for ratification once ratified they will be published immediately on the PGB website. Please be advised that with the Performance Team coaches being engaged in Budapest at WC#4 the lists will be uploaded by Wed 15th May 2013

Budapest and other Central European capitals blossom in the spring. Springtime is arguably the best to visit because of the weather and general positive spirits that can be spotted and felt. Budapest is spiritual and culture Alma Mater of the nation featuring plenty of green areas, impressive river Danube diving Buda and Pest, high hills surrounding Buda side of town and sort of Southern spell cast over the streets with beer stands, coffee and pastry shops. Hungarians same as Poles or Czechs lived through the Soviet era oppression for decades. They endured intervention and imposition, discrimination and they spilled blood in resistance to unreasonable and down right stupid. In that sense inhabitants of three countries sentenced by the communist bosses to become a battlefield and a buffer zone in the case of arms conflict between Soviet block and the West during the Cold War have a lot of common.

Newly acquired freedoms in the nineties have been embraced by many but feared by the rest. It was like ‘Pandora Box’ suddenly opening and revealing all the secrets. People who suffered the most under communist rule dreamed retribution but in majority of cases they wanted restitution of their properties confiscated, stolen by the regime. Seriously painful has been dealing with poor legislation and the ‘coat swingers’. The process of transition from 40 or so years puppet show to democracy and lawfulness has not been finalized yet. 20 years gone but shadows are still palpable awaiting resolution.

Ruling World Champion made a comeback today. Mhairi Spence looked motivated and fit. She sailed through the semi-finals fully focused and determined. Katy Burke’s mission to knock down 20 targets in less than one and half minutes continues. Katy qualified for the Finals by points thanks to good fence and swim. Samantha Murray missed the train today. Who said that return to the top competition after months of ‘flying high’ would be easy?

Jamie Cooke and Sam Weale to challenge the 80 strong filed tomorrow, Good Luck.     

Double Olympian Sam Weale contests his first international competition since London 2012 when he competes at the Budapest Modern Pentathlon World Cup later this week.

The 31-year-old is part of a five-strong British team at World Cup 4 – the last opportunity for athletes to score qualifying points to reach this year’s World Cup Final.
 
Weale came 10th at the Beijing Olympics five years ago and followed that up with 13th on home soil at the London 2012 Games last summer. In between he won silver at the 2010 European Championships in Hungary, becoming the first GB man to win an individual medal at the championships.
 
Weale won the first National Selection competition in Bath in December but was then sidelined by injury. He returned to action at last month’s British Championships in Solihull, coming second to Jamie Cooke in the senior competition.
 
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: “Sam is the most senior athlete on the programme at the moment. It’s his return to the international stage and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do after such a long gap.”
 
Cooke, Britain’s 2011 world junior champion, joins Weale in the men’s competition in Budapest.
 
Two further London 2012 Olympians will also be in action for Great Britain in Budapest – Olympic silver medallist Samantha Murray and reigning world champion Mhairi Spence. They are joined in Hungary by Katy Burke.
 
Spence gets an automatic place at the World Cup Final, which is at Nizhny Novgorod in Russia from 31 May to 2 Jun, by virtue of being reigning word champion.
 
The remainder of the places are determined by athletes’ World Cup standings after World Cup 4, with the top-35 athletes per gender qualifying for the Final, up to a maximum of three per nation.
 
Burke is currently 15th in the World Cup standings with Murray 32nd. Kate French, who isn’t competing in Budapest, is 14th.
 
Joe Evans looks to have nailed his World Cup Final spot – he is currently third overall in the men’s World Cup standings and doesn’t compete in Budapest. Cooke is 41st and a decent performance would earn him a place at Nizhny Novgorod.
 
 
The GB team for Modern Pentathlon World Cup 4 is:
 
Women
Katy Burke – 01.06,89, Cleveleys, near Blackpool - Bath
Samantha Murray – 25.09.90, Clitheroe, Lancashire - Bath
Mhairi Spence – 31.08.85, Farr, near Inverness - Bath
 
Men
Jamie Cooke  - 03.03.91, Cheltenham - Bath
Sam Weale – 09.02.82, East Coker near Yeovil, Somerset
 
World Cup 4 schedule
Thursday 9 May – women’s semi-finals
Friday 10 May – men’s semi-finals
Saturday 11 May – women’s final
Sunday 12 May – men’s final
Monday 13 May – mixed relay
 
 
2013 senior modern pentathlon calendar
 
20-24 February: World Cup 1 – Palm Springs, USA
20-24 March: World Cup 2 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
17-21 April: World Cup 3 – Chengdu, China
8-12 May: World Cup 4 – Budapest, Hungary
31 May – 2 June: World Cup Final – Nizhny-Novgorod, Russia
11-17 July: European Championships – Drzonkow, Poland
15-21 August: World Championships – Kaoshiung, Chinese Taipei
 
Pentathlon GB is the National Governing Body for the Olympic Sport of Modern Pentathlon. For further information please see www.pentathlongb.org
 
You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PentathlonGB and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PentathlonGB
 
The modern pentathlon sees athletes tackle fencing, swimming, show jumping and a run/shoot all in one day.
 
Great Britain's women have collected an impressive haul of five modern pentathlon medals from the last four Olympic Games, with Steph Cook winning gold at Sydney 2000 and Kate Allenby bronze, Georgina Harland taking bronze at Athens in 2004, Heather Fell winning silver at Beijing in 2008 and Samantha Murray taking silver at London last year.

For further information members of the media can contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518.

Olympic silver medal winning modern pentathete Samantha Murray has been named on the shortlist for the University of Bath Sports Personality of the  Year award.

The 23-year-old pentathlete  from Clitheroe in Lancashire combines studying for a degree in French and Politics at the University with training at Pentathlon GB’s High Performance Centre.

Samantha won silver at the London 2012, three months, Britain’s 65th and last medal of the Games in a year that also saw her take individual bronze at the World Championships. She is currently ranked number three in the world.

She features on a shortlist that also includes Michael Jamieson, a Sports Performance student at the University of Bath who won 200m breaststroke silver at London 2012.

Netballer Mia Ritchie and basketball player Tom Janicot also feature on the shortlist.

The award is presented annually to the student athlete most judged to have contributed significantly to student sport during their time at the University.

Samantha said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be shortlisted. It’s a real honour and it’s a great way to help promote my sport within the University.  I’d certainly encourage more people to get involved with the sport, for instance, by coming along to fencing with Bath Sword.”

The winner is determined by a vote by members of  Students’ Union Sport and will be announced at the annual Blues Awards ceremony, which takes place at Bath’s historic Assembly Rooms on 1 May.

The Blues Awards dinner are the highlights of the student sporting calendar in Bath, celebrating the achievements of student athletes at the University and the contribution that sport makes to University life.

Other awards presented on the evening include BUCS Team of the Year, Club of the Year and the Ivor Powell Award for Coaching Excellence.
Colours, Half Blues and Full Blues will be presented to individuals in recognition of their achievement, performance and commitment to sport at the University of Bath.

And all University alumni who competed at the London 2012 Olympics or Paralympics and athletes who trained at the University full-time in the lead-up to the Games will receive Honorary Blues.

Jon Gleave, Students’ Union Sport Officer, said: "The Blues are always the highlight of the student sporting calendar and are an opportunity for us to recognise the sporting achievement of our students, clubs and coaches. It promises to be a great evening, and one where we can be proud to celebrate a truly excellent year.”

Stephen Baddeley, Director of Sport at the University of Bath, said: “The last year has been a memorable one for the University’s student athletes and we’re looking forward to celebrating their achievements at the Blues Awards dinner.”

Voting for the Sports Personality of the Year award closes at 4pm on Tuesday 30 April.

Part Time National Development Manager Recruitment

Pentathlon GB is the national governing body for Modern Pentathlon in the UK.  We have had a highly successful period, including Olympic medal success at London 2012 and the securing of funding to support our Participation and World Class aspirations.

The Role

We are seeking to recruit an experienced and dynamic part time National Development Manager to manage a small team and be part of the Senior Management Team to drive our ambitions and deliver our Operational Plan by maximising resources and building capacity. 

The key areas of development for the role are:

1.         Increasing the number of people participating in the sports of Modern Pentathlon as members of the Association.

2.         Providing opportunities for supporting the development of the English Talent Programme at regional and national levels.

Location

Pentathlon GB Head Office is at the University of Bath and the role can either be based here or from home.  There will be a requirement for national travel.

Remuneration Package

The post is part time, equivalent to three days per week, the salary will dependent on experience within the range of £40,000 - £45,000 (pro rata).

Knowledge and Experience

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual with a proven experience of developing sport, excellent people skills and ability to deliver on objectives.  This should include the ability to demonstrate experience in majority of the following areas:

1.         Able to demonstrate a good understanding of the sporting structures in Great Britain.

2.         Previous experience of developing sport and encouraging participation (min 2 years).

3.         Able to demonstrate previous experience in managing projects, setting goals and achieving results.

4.         Able to form effective realationships and partnerships to enable the delivery of projects.

5.         Able to demonstrate an understanding of coordinating and managing teams of people.

6.         Proven ability to effectively work as part of a team and if necessary be able to use initiative and lead peers when required.

Appointment Process

If you are interested in further information including the Job Description and Competency Profile please contact the Office Manager, Ellie Guest Eleanor.guest@pentathlongb.org In addition if you would like an informal discussion about this opportunity, contact Ellie who will be able to assist.

If you would like to be considered for this role please forward your CV and covering letter to the email address above, detailing your reasons for applying and suitability for the role by 1700 on 23 May 2013.

The intended timescale for interview will be the week commencing the 3 June 2013.

Warranty Direct to sponsor GB Biathle

Warranty Direct – the UK’s leading provider of direct consumer warranties – will sponsor the GB Biathle Series and National Biathle Championships, supporting a unique form of athletics that follows a “run-swim-run” format and features events across the country.

With categories for all ages from 9 years up to 70+, Biathle competitions see athletes starting together in a group and running for up to 1500m, swimming for up to 200m and finally completing another run of up to 1500m to the finish line.

Warranty Direct’s support will enable organisers to double the number of competitors who receive prizes as well as providing kit, equipment and event costs.

Duncan McClure Fisher, Warranty Direct Managing Director, said of the deal: “We are very happy to back a sport which gets little exposure, but has produced some fantastic all-round athletes who have gone on to great things while representing their country. We hope that our support will help  Pentathlon GB produce more athletes to compete for the British Team in Future Olympics.”
                                                                                                                                 
Organised by Pentathlon GB, Biathle is a natural starting point for those who later move on to the Olympic sport of Modern Pentathlon. Samantha Murray – who, by claiming silver, won the British Team’s final medal of the London 2012 Olympic Games – competed in Biathle series events before graduating to Pentathlon.

Murray commented: “GB Biathle is a friendly, well-managed and competitive organisation that provides a pathway into Modern Pentathlon. As a youngster, I competed in a few Biathles in the North West which helped my progress into the Pentathlon field.”

Howard Jones, Pentathlon GB Biathle Director, said of Warranty’s Direct’s support:  “We’re absolutely delighted to have Warranty Direct on board for 2013. Following the Olympics there has  been an increase in people wanting to take up sport at this level and their support enables us to help encourage more people to take part. It’s going to be an exceptional season of competition”.

Warranty Direct-sponsored prizes will be awarded for the GB Biathle Race Series competitions across the country, with the first events set to take place at Millfield School in Somerset on 5th May.

This deal, amongst other things, will enable the prize fund for the overall Series standings to be increased from the top three to the top six in each class with value of the winners prizes rising to £100.

The 2013 GB Series Races are Millfield school 5th May, Hull 25th May. Blackpool 16th June, Weymouth 6th July and Salford on 4th August. Entry forms are on Calandar Biathle page of www.pentathlonGB.org

The first modern pentathlon competition involving a team from Scotland competing against another nation takes place in Aberdeen this weekend.  

The Irish Youths will compete against a team of 26 Scots in the swim, ride, fence and combined event shoot and run event.

Up to now, representation has only been through GB, but, with the growing interest in the sport, there is now the possibility of having a home nations event. It is hoped that this event will kick start something bigger next year with the possibility of England and Wales joining in.

The event has been organised by Scottish Saltires Modern Pentathlon Club who have been very successful in growing the sport throughout Scotland.

They have run a number of biathlon swim/run events locally and this has raised awareness of the sport. In addition to the Pentathlon competition next weekend, the club are also running a biathlon event on the Sunday morning for local's. There are 80 entries in the swim/run event and biathletes will also be able to watch the fencing phase of the pentathlon.

The riding takes place on Saturday at Hayfield Equestrian Centre wit hte remaining phases on Sunday at the International School of Aberdeen.

The whole event has been very kindly sponsored by premium downhole isolation company, Meta. They are covering the cost of the whole event with a generous donation of £2500. This is a fantastic sum of money coming into the sport. It means the neccessary equipment bought for the event can be used after for training and there will be more money in the pot to pay for good coaches and run camps to bring on young athletes.   

Meta
Meta is a premium downhole isolation company offering complete integrity across the life of the well - from the well architecture through to completion and production. Meta delivers to an international client base from its three regional hubs in the UK, the Middle East and the United States.

This weekend, 14 of Pentathlon GB's most promising young athletes will be competing at the Sant Boi Youth International.

Sisters Francesca and Georgina Summers, Georgia Pipes, Kelcey Pillage, Naomi Craig, Kerenza Bryson and Aylish Paisley will be competing in the women's event which begins on Saturday 27th April.

Competing in the men's event will be brothers Joseph and Henry Choong, Alexander Macaulay, William Eccleston, Harrison Yarnold, Myles Pillage and Harry Sykes. The men's event also kicks off on Saturday, and the competition concludes on Sunday 28th April for both men and women.

To keep up to date with news and results, please visit the official website http://trobadapentatlovilasantboi.blogspot.com.es/

Or go to www.twitter.com/pentathlongb for updates.

Good luck to all the athletes!

Britain’s Kate French and Sam Curry came home in 14th place in the mixed relay at the Chengdu Modern Pentathlon World Cup in China today (Sunday).

The pair had competed well in the fencing and swimming, finishing eighth and sixth in the two disciplines.

But their challenge was effectively ended when they were eliminated from the ride when French, riding a difficult horse, had six refusals. That meant they took no points from ride.

The pair still contested the combined run/shoot, setting the eighth fastest time with 12:20.51 to end their campaign in 14th.

Gold went to Hanna Vasilionak and Raman Pinchuk of Belarus.

Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB performance director, said: “We wanted to give two of the younger athletes another competition and a learning experience today, and they started well.

“The final placings were irrelevant to them, but it was good experience for them.”

The World Cup action now moves on to Hungary, where World Cup 4 takes place near Budapest and runs from the 9 to 13 May.

That will be the last opportunity for pentathletes to score World Cup ranking points to qualify for the World Cup Final at Nizhny Novgorod in Russia from 31 May to 2 June.

World Cup 3 mixed team results
Gold:  Hanna VASILIONAK & Raman PINCHUK (BLR) – 5708 points
Silver:  Janine KOHLMANN & Alexander NOBIS (GER) – 5696 points
Bronze:  BIAN Yufei & HAN Jiahoa (CHN) – 5688 points
14th: Kate FRENCH & Sam CURRY (GBR) - 4392

British team for World Cup 3 in Chengdu, China 17 April to 21 April
(format: name – date of birth, home town – current home)

Women
Katy Burke – 01.06,89, Cleveleys, near Blackpool - Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, Meopham, Gravesend - Bath
Rebecca Wain – 22.07.91  - Dundee - Aberdeen

Men
Sam Curry – 03.09.93, Redhill - Bath
Joe Evans  - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Tom Lees – 07.01.94, Croydon - Oxford
Nick Woodbridge – 01.07.86, Telford, Shropshire - Bath

World Cup 3 schedule
Wednesday 17 April: women’s heats
Thursday 18 April: men’s heats
Friday 19 April: women’s final
Saturday 20 April: men’s final
Sunday 21 April: mixed relay

I like waking up next to my loved one hoping for encouraging smile and even a little kiss to start the day. It was morning more like a catastrophic movie here in Chengdu. Earthquake unleashed at 8am when I was in the bathroom. I have instantly recognised what was happening based on my experience from Mexico where I lived for 5 years. I stood in the door frame of the bathroom counting rapidly approaching shock waves. When I reached five my heart almost stopped. Doors were rattling, floor moving sideways, someone screaming, it felt the building is on the verge of collapsing. It was too late for run from the 4th floor to the basement so I was waiting thinking I may not see my family again. Drama continued for roughly 40 seconds or so before it stopped but I wasn’t going anywhere awaiting the after shock wave which could potentially finish the job. It came a minute later but significantly less aggressive. 90 thousand people perished in 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province. Chengdu however escaped basically unharmed probably thanks to the anti-earthquake methods applied in the construction business. Chinese friends say the Seismic Activity Centre announced that some limited aftershocks may be felt but nothing major in the coming days. I admit that prospect of sleeping indoors tonight does not carry any excitement for me.

Joe Evans looked unaffected by the Mother Nature’s revenge fencing the top score this year up to date. It started to go wrong when he stepped in to the carpet covered hole and spread the right ankle. We have taped it and applied ice but it did not help in the swimming pool. You just cannot swim PB without proper flutter kick. Riding was a learning experience for Joe playing cut & mouse game with the horse. He was punished by refusal every single time when his body weight moved slightly forward and that occurred because the horse pulled intentionally the head down with massive force one stride off the obstacle. Hurting with swollen torn ankle Joe did race in the Combined Event finishing 20th overall, most likely securing the place in the prestigious 2013 World Cup Finals in Russia, congratulations.

The latest rumour flies around that the Chinese Local Government may issue a ban on all events in the area planned for tomorrow due to seismic unrest. If everything goes forward, tomorrow as scheduled, we are going to take part in the Mix Relay competition with Kate French and Sam Curry. We should find out later at the technical meeting.

Teenager Joe Evans had to overcome an injured ankle and the effects of experiencing an earthquake to finish 20th in Modern Pentathlon World Cup 3 in China today (Saturday).

The 19-year-old University of Bath student was Britain’s sole qualifier for the men’s final and was preparing to leave the hotel in Chengdu when the earthquake struck, with its epicentre about 70 miles from the city.

“I had just got up when the building started shaking,” he said. “I went over to the window and could see slates coming off the roof on the other side of the road. I didn’t know what was going on and thought ‘what en earth was that’. It probably went on for about 10 or 20 seconds. Fortunately everyone here was fine.”

The athletes headed off to the competition venue, the Pierre de Coubertin Stadium, where the World Cup went ahead as planned.

Evans made a terrific start to the fencing, before twisting his right ankle towards the end of the competition. He still managed second place with 23 wins from his 35 bouts, a performance that was only bettered by Ukraine’s Pavlo Tymoshchenko with 26 wins.

But Evans couldn’t kick properly in the swim and clocked a 200m freestyle time of 2:05.34. That was 10th quickest but around five seconds off his semi-final time, putting him joint second overall behind Hungary’s Bruce Demeter.

He dropped out of the top-10 for the first time in the day in the ride. None of the athletes went clear in the allowed time to take the maximum 1200 points from the discipline, but Evans’ 920-point haul relegated him to joint 13th. It meant he went into the run/shoot 31 seconds behind event leader Jinhwa Jung of Korea.

Despite shooting well, Evans ‘hobbled’ around the running course and came home 20th overall as Tymoshchenko went on to take gold.

Evans, who has made the finals at all three of his World Cups to date and won bronze on his world Cup debut in California in March, said: “I had the best fence I’ve ever had today, it was fantastic. But after rolling my foot I had to make the best of a bad job and I had to hobble round the run at the end.

“I’m pleased to have made the final and competing today was a valuable experience for me,” he added.

Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, praised Evans’ performance at only his third World Cup.

“Joe has finished another World Cup and 20th is a respectable position, especially as he was disadvantaged with his ankle,” he said. “We had a conversation about whether he should run today, but we gave him the final decision as he was the only person who could really assess the pain he was in.

“He decided he wanted to go for it. That was evidence that he’s a really committed and competitive athlete.”

Bartu has experienced a number of earthquakes in the past from five years working as head coach of the Mexican national teams in the early 1990s.

“I’ve been through a few earthquakes before and the shockwaves were fairly long today,” he said. “It was a big scare, especially when you’re in a building which is shaking. The area is prone to shaking and the modern buildings are built with anti-earthquake features. We’re all fine.”

Tomorrow (Sunday) the Chengdu World Cup concludes with the mixed team relay. Sam Curry and Kate French compete for Great Britain.

The World Cup action then moves on to Hungary, where World Cup 4 takes place near Budapest and runs from the 9 to 13 May.

World Cup 3 men’s final results
Gold: Pavlo TYMOSHCHENKO (UKR) – 5696 points
Silver: Woo Jin LEE (KOR) – 5644 points
Bronze:  Valentin BELAUD (FRA) – 5632 points
20th: Joe EVANS (GBR) – 5336 points

British team for World Cup 3 in Chengdu, China 17 April to 21 April
(format: name – date of birth, home town – current home)

Women
Katy Burke – 01.06,89, Cleveleys, near Blackpool - Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, Meopham, Gravesend - Bath
Rebecca Wain – 22.07.91  - Dundee - Aberdeen

Men
Sam Curry – 03.09.93, Redhill - Bath
Joe Evans  - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Tom Lees – 07.01.94, Croydon - Oxford
Nick Woodbridge – 01.07.86, Telford, Shropshire - Bath

World Cup 3 schedule
Wednesday 17 April: women’s heats
Thursday 18 April: men’s heats
Friday 19 April: women’s final
Saturday 20 April: men’s final
Sunday 21 April: mixed relay

In the late spring of 2011 we have hosted the complete Chinese Team at the Bath National Training Centre. Not really knowing each other besides competing, after just a day we were able to establish constructive working relationship setting up the schedule, organised fencing sessions and sharing the training business with no hassle what so ever for a month. I am saying this because we have hosted other training partners we could do without. Anyway Chinese Team management were very thankful and invited us to the Bath Fusion Chinese restaurant for a dinner before they were heading back home. When we arrived to Chengdu later that year the first thing they have done was to make sure that we are going to dine with them at a posh classic Sichuan restaurant in downtown. Preferential treatment continues this year with tailored made coffee provided to me by the Chinese Team Leader every morning I walk in to the competition venue, nice and appreciated gesture indeed.

Previously, I have touched on the subject of an athlete’s talent to maintain positive attitude, self-confidence and fighting spirits under duress. When comparing semi-final performances of the British athletes, ability to come back from the stint seems to be defining moment for success. Joe Evans achieved exactly that in the fencing discipline. Together with strong swim he could face challenged of fast shooting Koreans and Chinese in the Combined Event achieving his third appearance in the final stage of the World Cup this year. Joe starts tomorrow at 3 in the morning UK time, good luck!

It was not exactly an ‘easy sail’ for Katy Burke and Rebecca Wain today. Rebecca may return home with a good feeling that she featured in the World Cup Finals stage and delivered respectable performance standard. 

Katy’s struggle to maximise her potential in the Combined Event continues. She improved running phase but shooting is still some distance from ideal. Katy and the coaching team have now opportunity to discuss the way forward. 

We have seen some impressive performances today produced by emerging generation of athletes. Improved riding skills of the Chinese Team, Mexico, Ukraine and Kazakhstan introducing excellent ‘combiners’ and promising Russian Team motivated to make their mark on the international scene. There is definitively no room for complacency in the first year of the Rio Olympic Cycle.

Britain’s Katy Burke and Rebecca Wain finished just outside the top-20 in the Modern Pentathlon World Cup in Chengdu, China today (Friday).

Burke came home 21st in the final, with Wain just behind her in 22nd on her World Cup debut.

Burke and Wain each won 16 of their 35 fencing bouts to start the final in joints 21st place with 784 pentathlon points.

Burke climbed to 15th overall with a 200m freestyle swim time of 2:15.74. That was the sixth fastest time of the day, adding 1172 points to her total. Wain dropped down to joint 28th after a swim of 2:28.85, worth 1016 points.

Burke dropped 120 points from the maximum 1200 available in the riding arena, which meant she went intp the combined run/shoot in 16th place, 63 seconds behind leader Liudmila Kukushkina of Russia.

Wain added 1092 points to her total in the ride, putting her 27th going to the run/shoot, 99 seconds behind the leader.

Wain’s run/shoot time of 13:46.11 was 14th best on the day and saw her end her World Cup debut campaign in 22nd, while Burke’s 14:15.81 put her 21st.

Ganna Buriak of Ukraine, who started the run/shoot 45 seconds back from the lead, took gold.

Tomorrow (Saturday) 19-year-old Joe Evans flies the flag for Great Britain in the men’s final. He qualified for his third successive World Cup final from the semi-final on Thursday.

World Cup 3 women’s final results
Gold: Ganna BURIAK (UKR) – 5168 points
Silver: LIANG Wanxia (CHN) – 5100 points
Bronze: WANG Wei (CHN) – 5072 points
21st: Katy BURKE (GBR) – 4816 points
22nd: Rebecca WAIN (GBR) – 4788 points

British team for World Cup 3 in Chengdu, China 17 April to 21 April
(format: name – date of birth, home town – current home)

Women
Katy Burke – 01.06,89, Cleveleys, near Blackpool - Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, Meopham, Gravesend - Bath
Rebecca Wain – 22.07.91  - Dundee - Aberdeen

Men
Sam Curry – 03.09.93, Redhill - Bath
Joe Evans  - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Tom Lees – 07.01.94, Croydon - Oxford
Nick Woodbridge – 01.07.86, Telford, Shropshire - Bath

World Cup 3 schedule
Wednesday 17 April: women’s heats
Thursday 18 April: men’s heats
Friday 19 April: women’s final
Saturday 20 April: men’s final
Sunday 21 April: mixed relay

Teenager Joe Evans will be Britain’s sole representative in the men’s final of the Chengdu Modern Pentathlon World Cup in China this weekend after he qualified from today’s semis.

Evans finished sixth in his semi-final this morning to qualify comfortably for Saturday’s final, finishing in a top-11 group separated by just eight seconds.  A top-12 finish was needed to secure an automatic berth in the final.

But Nick Woodbridge, missed out on the final, as did 19-year-olds Sam Curry and Tom Lees, who was making his World Cup debut.

Evans’ performance today means he has now qualified for the finals at all three of his World Cups to date, a record that started with a bronze medal in California in February.

“It’s been an encouraging season for Joe. He’s made three finals from three World Cups and that’s a very good standard,”  said Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB performance director. “He did really well and deserved his place in the final.  Let’s see what he can do there.

“Today was an opportunity for Tom (Lees) to learn about the sport and it has fulfilled its purpose,” he added.

Woodbridge and Evans both had the opportunity to make strong starts to their campaign with semi-final B starting in the pool.

The pair clocked the best two times of the day for the 200m freestyle. Woodbridge was the only pentathlete to dip under two minutes with a time of 1:59.99, while Evans clocked 2:00.53.

Evans, a University of Bath Sports Performance student, maintained his place in the top-10 by winning half of his 32 fencing bouts. He went into the run/shoot in seventh place overall. Woodbridge dropped down to 15th, winning 13 of his fencing contests.

Evans comfortably progressed to the final with a run/shoot time of 12:45.86, but Woodbridge struggled with the heat and humidity with a time of 13:35.12, which left him 25th overall.

In semi-final A, Sam Curry and World Cup debutant Nick Lees finished 20th and 23rd respectively.

Curry, competing at only his third World Cup, won 14 of his 31 fencing contests to start the day in joint 21st, while Lees won nine bouts for 30th.

Lees’ 2:06.81 was ninth fastest and he went into the run/shoot 30th overall.  Curry’s 2:09.33 in the pool was 16th fastest in the semi, which meant he went into the combined run/shoot in 19th.

Curry rounded off his campaign with 12:43.06 for the run/shoot. It was the 18th fastest time and meant he finished 20th overall. Lees’ 12:32.32 was the 12th fastest time of the semi, pushing him up to 23rd overall.

Tomorrow (Friday) sees the first final of the Chengdu World Cup. Katy Burke and Rebecca Wain go for Great Britain after qualifying from semis on Wednesday.

British team for World Cup 3 in Chengdu, China 17 April to 21 April
(format: name – date of birth, home town – current home)

Women
Katy Burke – 01.06,89, Cleveleys, near Blackpool - Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, Meopham, Gravesend - Bath
Rebecca Wain – 22.07.91  - Dundee - Aberdeen

Men
Sam Curry – 03.09.93, Redhill - Bath
Joe Evans  - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Tom Lees – 07.01.94, Croydon - Oxford
Nick Woodbridge – 01.07.86, Telford, Shropshire - Bath

World Cup 3 schedule
Wednesday 17 April: women’s heats
Thursday 18 April: men’s heats
Friday 19 April: women’s final
Saturday 20 April: men’s final
Sunday 21 April: mixed relay

The manufacturers of IQ systems have very recently raised a safety concern about the power of lasers used in some laser pistols. Pentathlon GB is making further enquiries about this but while the matter is being clarified it is recommended that laser pistols should not be used in continuous beam mode, even for training sessions. 

Members are reminded that all pistols, whether used with pellet or converted for use with laser should always be treated as potentially dangerous weapons. They must never be pointed at anyone else and when not in use should always be either boxed or left unloaded, with breach open, pointed down the range.  Never walk in the line of fire of any pistol, laser or pellet. 

In summary, do not use continuous beam unless advised that you should do so – and never point a laser pistol at anyone.

Jon Austin
CEO
Pentathlon GB

Distribution of athletes to the semi-final groups is something I have been looking at for years. The most recent Pentathlon World Ranking List is used to allocate athletes to certain semi-final groups based on their place on the Ranking List. In theory athlete ranked number 1 is automatically first one to be taken position in the semi-final group A, number 2 first one to be taken position in the semi-final group B and so on. There can be up to four semi-finals in any of the major events. The purpose of this is to ensure that ratio between high, mid and low ranked athletes is preserved in each of the semi-final groups. That is certainly splendid arrangement unless its application falters. What actually happens in the real world is that there is no competition where about are all attended athletes ranked place by place. For instance you may have on the starting list athlete ranked number 1 but not an athlete ranked number 2. In this case athlete ranked number 3 who is taking part is allocated first position in the group B. If you exercise this scenario you find out that this approach distorts the balance of high, mid and low ranked athletes in each of the semi-final groups. What you end up in the field of play is that one of the groups will be significantly more populated with higher ranked athletes than the other. On the other hand in the scenario that we honour the athlete ranking position during the semi-final group allocation exercise we may theoretically end up with all participating athletes in one semi-final group. So there is no straight answer to the puzzle. I have bounced this argument of the ‘Cardsys’ boys who have written the best scoring system for Modern Pentathlon up to date and are responsible for the 2013 World Cup Series and the World Championships logistics . We can see possibilities of creating the Pentathlon World Fencing Ranking List, and rankings for all disciplines for that matter, to identify better, more objective formula for semi-final groups’ setup with the athletes’ best interest in mind.

Chengdu World Cup is the unique opportunity for Asian athletes to show their strength on their turf and they certainly did today qualifying 14 athletes, 39% of the field, for the Finals. Katy Burke and Rebecca Wain successfully managed in respective semi-final groups fighting opposition, jet lag and unforgiving heat, reaching over 32 Centigrade for the Combined Event, to secure the Friday finals. Rebecca delivered, in her maiden World Cup appearance so far, despite the 50 seconds shooting nightmare in the closing stage of the Combined Event. We have witnessed two athletes collapsing from heat exhaustion today keeping local ambulance on their toes. Kate French struggled to score in the fencing together with bellow par swimming performance finished just outside the qualification position.

Four strong British men outfit on the blocks tomorrow, good luck!

Britain’s Katy Burke and Rebecca Wain progressed to Friday’s final of the Modern Pentathlon World Cup in China, but team-mate Kate French missed out.

Burke made sure of an automatic qualification to the final by finishing 12th in her semi-final in Chengdu today (Wednesday).

Neither Wain, making her World Cup debut, nor French, could achieve a top-12 finish that would qualify direct for the final and they both had to wait to see whether their points scores would be enough for them to progress. Wain went through but French just missed out

In semi-final A, Burke was joint fourth after the fencing, winning 14 of her 26 contests.  French left herself with work to do, scoring eight wins for equal 22nd place.

Burke maintained her momentum with a 200m freestyle time of 2:16.65, the fourth fastest in semi-final A. French’s 2:24.08 was 16th fastest.

Burke went on to qualify automatically for Friday’s final in 12th place overall, with a run/shoot time of 15:02.83.

French’s run/shoot time of 14:23.68 was the sixth fastest of the semi and saw her end the day in 17th place, which meant she had to wait to find out results from the other semi-final to learn whether she had progressed.

Semi-final B started in the pool.  Wain was 15th after the swim with a 200m freestyle time of 2:25.63.

Wain was still in contention after two events, winning 14 of her 26th fencing bouts. She ended her campaign with a run/shoot time of 14:33.90. That saw her finish 19th overall in her semi.

This year for the first time the top-12 in each semi progress to the final along with the next 12 highest points scorers.  And with athletes in semi-final B finishing with higher scores, Wain went through and French missed out.

Tomorrow (Thursday) it’s the turn of the men to go into action in Chengdu. Oxford University student Tom Lees makes his World Cup debut. Double Olympian Nick Woodbridge also competes, along with Joe Evans and Sam Curry.

British team for World Cup 3 in Chengdu, China 17 April to 21 April
(format: name – date of birth, home town – current home)

Women
Katy Burke – 01.06.89, Cleveleys, near Blackpool - Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, Meopham, Gravesend - Bath
Rebecca Wain – 22.07.91  - Dundee - Aberdeen

Men
Sam Curry – 03.09.93, Redhill - Bath
Joe Evans  - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire – Bath
Tom Lees – 07.01.94, Croydon - Oxford
Nick Woodbridge – 01.07.86, Telford, Shropshire - Bath

World Cup 3 schedule
Wednesday 17 April: women’s heats
Thursday 18 April: men’s heats
Friday 19 April: women’s final
Saay 20 April: men’s final
Sunday 21 April: mixed relay

Westerners seem to have their own view on the way of life in the East. Just the word ‘east’ has a certain meanings to them, wrong or right. Nowadays some people even with no experience of, at least, a city break east of German border, have an opinion. They usually end up with media facsimile of what is going on. Sadly that is very often far from reality. I have been returning to China from 2006 on annual basis having opportunity to witness expansion of the modern state and also persistence of the thousands years of culture heritage. I stand correctly; they are fine. Stroll few blocks from the hotel to feel a moderate tempo of life, certain order in which people live, street vendors serving typical spicy Sichuan province food and disorderly traffic with laudable horns, cyclists and motorcyclists going always, for whatever reason, in opposite direction. Little park set up in the corner of the busy street on the river bank features a moderate monument, few simple benches where people can stretch, listen to music and detach from daily struggles. Locals come across fairly relaxed getting on with life minding their own business. Interestingly police street presence here is nil probably not needed down to draconic punishments for law and order violators of all sorts. The only reason why you could feel a bit strange is surprised looks of people who rarely come across to person of Caucasian origins and height close to 6 ft. Yesterday a young man almost hit a lamp post meanwhile he stared at me in disbelieve. It is a good fun in the supermarket when ladies, shop attendants, offer you help but actually they just want to check you out and smile.           

Chengdu has become Asian Mecca of Modern Pentathlon with magnificent sporting complex hosting annually World Cup events. Talking to my fellow coaches today we agreed that our host achieved significant progress over the years in running this prestigious event. I would also support the notion that we have developed mutual respect to Chinese efforts in the field of play and their undisputable contribution to the sport. Horse inspection earlier today re-confirmed what we have envisaged that the riding discipline could be decisive for the outcome of this World Cup. British athletes completed weapon control, walked the riding course and routinely swam and jogged. Although 7 time zones difference has been felt last night they should be much better today. Temperatures are going to reach 30 Centigrade in the afternoon on the competition days and we may prepare for potential thunderstorms. Athletes seem to be energised and I sense excitement palpable around this team of potentials. We are for a good start!                   

Dear Masters,

The dates for the 2013 European Masters Championship in Budapest, Hungary have been confirmed as 12 – 15 September 2013.

The organisers will send out the detailed invitation in the beginning of June.

I am sure that our Hungarian friends will organise a splendid competition right in the center of the Modern Pentathlon history. For many many years the Masters have not been invited to Budapest for competitions.  Now we must show have many and how good we are.

NEUSS (GER)  Competition

Please see the invitation here.  Please notice the last entry date:  Sunday 14th April.

TARTU (EST) Competition

Please see the invitation here for this very good competition in Estonia from  7 – 9th June.

Best regards

Erik Pock
Chairman UIPM Masters Committee

saucekok@mail.tele.dk

Pentathlon GB Insurance Update

This update includes information on two key areas:

1.         Public Liability insurance for Clubs and

2.         Travel Insurance

Clubs

The position about Club Insurance (meaning the public liability insurance of the Club and those who run it) as opposed to the public liability insurance of the individual members (who are covered in accordance with policy terms provided they are paid up members of Pentathlon GB) has not been sufficiently clear.  Accordingly from 1 April 2013 we have decided that in addition to individual members, all affiliated clubs will also be covered in accordance with policy terms.

Travel Insurance

Travel abroad - i.e. outside Great Britain. We remind members that Pentathlon GB Travel Insurance covers only those members who are travelling abroad to compete, or train, as part of a team officially sanctioned by Pentathlon GB.  This would normally be led by a member of the Pentathlon GB Performance Team or the Pentathlon GB Biathle Director.

Pentathlon GB members who are travelling abroad to compete or train with their club, or alone, should ensure that they purchase specialist sports travel insurance.

Members should not rely solely on their ordinary travel insurance as a claim may well be turned down on the grounds of material non-disclosure e.g. the fact that you were competing or training.  This applies to all the elements of Modern Pentathlon, not just those involving potentially dangerous activities: insurers may turn down your claim for an accident which occurs during a training session or competition if you do not purchase specialist sports travel insurance.  Members should check with their travel insurance provider that cover extends to include their non-incidental sporting activity both on a competing and/or training basis."

April 2013