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

Olympic silver medallist Samantha Murray produced a fine all-round display to win her first British Modern Pentathlon Championships crown in Solihull yesterday (Saturday).

And the overall men’s title went to teenager Joe Choong, who at the end of a long day of competition, just edged out Jamie Cooke in a sprint finish.

Murray and Choong have now secured places on the British team to compete at the European Championships in Poland in July.

Murray, ranked three in the world, won bronze at last year’s World Championships and silver at London 2012, but hadn’t yet won a senior British Championships.

The 23-year-old did it in style today in a high class field that also featured Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medallist Heather Fell and reigning world champion Mhairi Spence.

After an impressive day, Murray shot and ran strongly at the Tudor Grange Leisure Centre to finish 20 seconds clear of 17-year-old Eilidh Prise.

It meant Murray captured the senior and overall titles, with Aberdeen teenager Prise, a member of Pentathlon GB’s World Class Podium Potential programme, impressing with the fastest run/shoot time of the day en route to the junior title.

Murray is now focussing on studying for her finals for her French and Politics degree at the University of Bath later this month.

“I had a fantastic day,” she said afterwards. “I was relaxed coming here and I wanted to win to secure my place at the European Championships.

“I started training again after the Olympics in January and I felt strong today,” she added. “My running has improved since the World Cup in Rio last month, when I finished fifth.”

Murray started the day well with the second best performance in the fencing, winning 33 of her 42 bouts. That was only bettered by Jenny McGeever, with 35 wins.

Kate French and Katy Burke were joint third with 30 wins, with Eilidh Prise fifth, Spence and Freyja Prentice joint seventh and Fell 11th.

Murray climbed to the top of the leaderboard in the swim, and from there she never looked back. Her 200m freestyle time of 2:09.96 was the second fastest of the day.

Burke moved up to second with 2:11.78, the third fastest time of the day, with McGeever third and French fourth. Alice Fitton clocked the fastest time in the pool with 2:08.42 to go joint fifth with Eilidh Prise.

Murray extended her lead in the ride. She had one fence down and also sustained some time penalties to add 1120 of the maximum possible 1200 to her score.

That meant she went into the run/shoot 92 points and 23 seconds clear of Burke in second. Burke added 1112 points to her score in the ride.

Eilidh Prise and Spence were the only two riders to go clear in the allowed time to bag the maximum 1200 points in the arena at Solihull Riding Club. That was enough to promote them from sixth and seventh respectively overall to third and fourth.

Fell, meanwhile, went into the run/shoot in 14th, climbing from 11th place after the swim.

Murray shot and ran well to make sure of the title, although Prise’s 12:28.06 run/shoot was six seconds quicker than that of the London 2012 medallist.

French came home third, with Burke fourth and Fell producing a battling end to her campaign, scything her way through the field from 14th to fifth. Spence finished seventh.

The men’s competition ended in a thrilling climax with five athletes in with a shout in the run/shoot. In the end it all came down to a sprint finish, with 17-year-old Choong edging out Cooke, Britain’s 2011 world junior champion.

Joe Evans, bronze medallist on his World Cup debut in California in February, came home third, with double Olympian Sam Weale fourth and Tom Toolis fifth.

It meant Choong, a student at Whitgift School in Croydon, took the overall and junior titles, with Cooke securing the senior title.

“I’m pleased, I like a sprint finish,” said Choong. “I was a bit lucky today because I got a really nice horse, and riding is my weakest event.”

Weale made the best start, winning 24 of his fencing bouts to take 1084 pentathlon points. Sam Curry’s 21 wins put him second, with Toolis third, and  Evans and Choong sharing fourth.

Weale’s 2:04.39 was the sixth fastest men’s 200m freestyle time but was enough to keep him in the lead. Not surprisingly, Cooke went quickest in the pool with a time of 1:55.30, pushing him up from sixth to fifth overall. Evans’ 1:57.04 was second fastest, keeping him second overall with Chong third overall and Toolis fourth.

But it was Choong that led the leaderboard after the ride. None of the men went clear in the allowed time, but Choong’s 1156 points was the third best performance in the riding area and meant he went into run/shoot in pole position, 60 points and 15 seconds clear of Cooke in second. Cooke had also fared well in the ride, with 1128 points.

Toolis was just four points and a second further back at the start, with Evans another four seconds back in fourth. Weale added 976 points to his score in the ride and started the run/shoot in fifth. He started just 32 seconds behind Choong.

The run/shoot turned into a terrific battle with five athletes in contention, but it was Choong and Cooke that battled it out on the last running leg. They both produced determined finishes as they battled for the line in a sprint finish, but it was the 17-year-old that edged it by a fraction. He took the overall and junior titles, with Cooke getting the consolation of the senior crown.

Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: “It was very competitive today. It shows it was a good idea to get the juniors and seniors in the mix in open competition.

“The decision for the winner to compete at the European Championships also gave the competition a tension and some extra competitiveness.

“Samantha looked very good today and Eilidh helped to keep her on her toes,” he added.

Full results are available on the Pentathlon GB website at www.pentathlongb.org/competitions/results.php


Results:

Overall British Champions
Women: Samantha Murray
Men:  Joe Choong

Women – senior
Gold: Samantha Murray – 5428
Silver: Kate French - 5092
Bronze: Katy Burke - 5076

Women – junior
Gold: Eilidh Prise - 5348
Silver: Jo Muir - 4908
Bronze: Kerry Prise - 4660

Men – senior
Gold: Jamie Cooke - 5744
Silver: Sam Weale - 5612
Bronze: James Myatt - 5388

Men – junior
Gold: Joe Choong - 5744
Silver: Joe Evans - 5656
Bronze: Tom Toolis - 5532

Olympic silver medallist Samantha Murray produced an impressive performance to collect her first British Modern Pentathlon Championships title in Solihull today (Saturday).

Murray has now already secured a place on the GB team for this summer’s European Championships. She was followed home by 17-year-old Eilidh Prise, who took the junior title.

The men’s event saw another junior, 17-year-old Joe Choong, just beat Jamie Cooke in a sprint finish. It means Choong took the overall title and the junior title, with Cooke the senior champion.

Full report to follow on Sunday.

Memo to:            Pentathlon GB Family

Re:                       Athlete Personal Award UK Sports Lottery Fund

The Athlete Personal Award (APA) system is an integral part of the Pentathlon GB World Class Performance Programmes (WCP) that has been in operation since November 1997. The APA is a Lottery Sports Fund grant managed by the UK Sport to support Performance Pathway athletes’ progression from Talent through Podium Potential to Podium with solely purpose of achieving success in the Olympic Games and the World Championships.

Due to the unprecedented success of Great Britain Modern Pentathlon World Class Performance Programme in 2012 a review of the APA system has been conducted and as a result of UK Sport’s recommendation further financial support can be delivered to the Pentathlon GB WCP athletes. Based on this recommendation the individual APA amount for each athlete, currently receiving an award, has been reviewed against the revised levels. The levels are Podium A, B and C, Podium Potential D, E and F.

Pentathlon GB WCP APA Annual Levels from 1 April 2013:

Podium

A                             £28,000.00

B                             £21,500.00

C                             £15,000.00

Podium Potential

D.1                         £12,000.00
D.2                         £10,500.00
E.1                          £9,000.00
E.2                          £6,000.00
F                              £4,000.00

Irrespective of previous performances, eligible athletes are only nominated for funding by the Pentathlon GB Performance Team if they are considered to be progressing towards or continuing to achieve the World Championships and the Olympic Games medal winning performances.

Pentathlon GB WCP Podium and Podium Potential Athletes will shortly receive a personal communication advising them of any changes to their individual APA for the period commencing the 1^st of April 2013.

Jan Bartu

Performance Director, Pentathlon GB

PentathlonGB Biathle is pleased to announce a sponsorship deal with Warranty Direct.

Warranty Direct are to sponsor the 2013 GB Biathle Series and the National Biathle Championships. 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. 

Warranty Direct is the industry's leading provider of direct consumer warranties. They specialise in mechanical breakdown insurance for vehicles and warranties for most cars vans and motorbikes as well as extended warranties for brown and white household goods.
Warranty Direct will be an important partner helping promote the exciting sport of Biathle and making the event available to many more competitors both young and old though the various age categories.

Two Olympic medallists and a reigning world champion are among the athletes battling it out for honours at the British Modern Pentathlon Championships in Solihull this weekend.

The impressive line-up of athletes competing at the Tudor Grange Leisure Centre on Saturday (6 April) also includes two further British Olympians and a former World Junior champion.

And there is a place on the British team for the European Championships in Poland in July up for grabs for the winner of both the men’s and women’s overall titles.

London 2012 Olympic silver medallist Samantha Murray and Beijing 2008 silver medallist Heather Fell, winner of the women’s title last year, are among the pentathletes contesting the event in Solihull on Saturday.

They will be joined by another London 2012 Olympian Mhairi Spence, who became Britain’s first senior individual modern pentathlon world champion for more than a decade in Rome in May last year.

Nick Woodbridge and Sam Weale, who both represented Great Britain at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games, are due to contest the men’s championships. They will be joined Jamie Cooke, Britain’s 2011 world junior champion, who also achieved the 2012 Olympic qualifying standard.

Joe Evans, who won bronze on his senior World Cup debut in California in February, is also contesting the main men’s title as well as the junior crown. Two other young athletes who made their World Cup debuts this year, Sam Curry and Tom Toolis, will also be in action in the men’s competition.

There will be British senior and junior titles up for grabs. The overall highest scoring man and woman will earn a place on the GB team for this summer’s European Championships.

Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: “The dates for this year’s championships have fitted in well with the international calendar. It’s an opportunity for our athletes to compete in the UK, and particularly for the younger ones. Competing is the best training for them.”

The championships are organised by Pentathlon GB, the national governing body for the Olympic sport of modern pentathlon. They will see athletes complete a fence, swim, ride and combined run/shoot all in the space of one day.

The timings are as follows:

Fencing (Tudor Grange Leisure Centre) – 08.00 start

Swimming (Tudor Grange Leisure Centre) - 11.20 start

Riding (Solihull Riding Club) – 12.45 start

Combined run/shoot (Tudor Grange Leisure Centre)  - 16.25 start
 

The administration office at Pentathlon GB HQ will be closed from 1700 today (27 March 2013) and will re-open again at 0900 on Tuesday 02 April 2013.

If you wish to get in touch over that period then you can either leave an answer phone message on the office phone (01225 386808) or e-mail admin@pentathlongb.org and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Have a great Easter weekend, and keep up the Pentathlon training!!

Britain’s Kate French and Jamie Cooke had to settle for joint 11th place in the mixed team relay at the Rio Modern Pentathlon World Cup.
 
The GB pair were 11th after the fencing and then came second overall in the swimming relay.
 
A 15th place in the ride was followed by 11th in the run/shoot to end the competition 11th overall.
 
Yesterday’s (Sunday) mixed relay was the final competition of World Cup 2.
 
Gold went to the Russian pairing of Ekaterina Khuraskina and Aleksander Lesun.
 
The World Cup action now moves on to Chengdu in China for World Cup 3 from 17 to 24 April.

Hampshire schoolgirl Emily Jenkinson collected an impressive seventh successive title at the Pentathlon GB British Schools Modern Biathlon Championships in London today (Sunday).

The 16-year-old’s success was one of the highlights of a day that saw around 700 young athletes battle it out against each other – and the weather - for titles at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

There was also a title apiece for the Sinha sisters – Sabrina and Natasha – and a fourth title in the last five years for Alexander Allen, a pupil at Millfield School in Somerset.

Emily Jenkinson (pictured) from Southampton has dominated her year group at the championships since winning the Year 6 title back in 2007.

Now a pupil at Peter Symonds College in Winchester, she came third in her 100m swim today and set the fastest time in the Year 11/12 girls’ 1000m run to make sure of her seventh title.

She plans to return to the competition for the last time next year with the aim of making it eight in a row.

“I wasn’t expecting this many titles, to be honest,” she said. “I’m a bit shocked that I’ve won so many.

“The run wasn’t easy this year, it was a lot colder than I expected, but I’m really pleased that I won again.”

Earlier in the day Bromley High School pupil Sabrina Sinha won the Year 8 girls’ title – her second title in two years. Moments later her sister, Natasha, a pupil at James Allens Girls School in London, took the Year 9 title – her third in a row.

And there was a fourth title in the last five years for Millfield School pupil Alexander Allen. He dominated the competition, knocking a second off his personal best to win the 100m freestyle swim and then setting the fastest time in the 1000m run too.

Alexander has now won titles in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013 – he missed out in 2010 when a heavy cold forced him to withdraw from the competition.

This year, just for good measure, he joined forces with James Rustom and Jason Haw to win the Year 10 & 11 boys’ team title for Millfield School.

“The swim went really well with a one-second personal best. It was just a case of sticking with them in the run then, I knew it was in my grasp,” he said. “We really wanted to win this team title this year, we haven’t done that for a while.”

The first winner of the day was Tom Randolph of the Landau Free Academy at Tamworth. Eighth after the swim, he produced a strong 1000m run in the stadium to win the boys’ Year 9 title.  Randolph had taken silver in the Year 8 competition last year.

After the event Jon Austin, Chief Executive Officer of Pentathlon GB, paid tribute to everyone who helped make the championships such a big success again this year.

“It’s been an enormous challenge to pull the championships together in the current weather conditions,” he said.

“I would particularly like to thank Sue Hyde our National Competitions and Events Manager, who, despite the uncertainties over the weather, remained resolutely determined to make sure the championships took place.

“I’d also like to thank all of the volunteers and staff who worked tirelessly to ensure the event happened today, as well as the schools, parents and athletes for showing the commitment to making the championships the successful event it has proved to be over the years.

“Thanks too for everyone at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre for their support in making sure the competition could go ahead.”

The schools biathlon is run by Pentathlon GB, the national governing body for the Olympic sport of modern pentathlon, and gives young athletes an opportunity to have a go at a multi-sport competition featuring a run and a swim. They could also try out fencing and shooting at taster sessions.

This year young athletes also got the opportunity to meet Heather Fell, who won modern pentathlon silver for Great Britain at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Heather, who presented medals and trophies to many of this year’s winners, said: “Being involved with the championships this year really brought back fond memories. It was great to be a part of it today and to meet so many talented young athletes.”

Barbara Woodward, Director General of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a member of the Pentathlon GB Board, also made a number of presentations.

Some former participants have gone on to represent Great Britain on the senior international circuit.  They include Jamie Cooke, Britain’s 2011 world junior champion and Joe Evans, who won bronze on his World Cup debut in California a month ago. Both are currently in Rio for the second World Cup of the year.

There were individual and team awards up for grabs in each year group from Year 5 up to Years 12/13.

Year 5, 6 and 7 pupils and teachers complete a 50m swim and a 500m run, with Years 8 to 13 pupils tackling a 100m swim and 1000m run.

For results go to www.pentathlongb.org/schools/index.php?tab=7

You can also follow our coverage of the action on our Facebook and Twitter pages at www.facebook.com/PentathlonGB and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PentathlonGB

Pentathlon GB is the National Governing Body for the Olympic Sport of Modern Pentathlon. For further information please see www.pentathlongb.org

For further information members of the media can contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or 07765 071683.
 

The 2013 Schools British Modern Biathlon Championships are now underway at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

You can follow the action and catch up with our photo galleries on the Pentathlon GB Facebook page and there will also be coverage on Twitter using the hash tag #SchoolsBiChamps

We have a very special guest with us today in Heather Fell, Britain's modern pentathlon silver medalist at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Final results across the competition classes will be published on the Pentathlon GB website schools competitions pages and then clicking on the results tab.

For a preview to the championships, click here.

Good luck to everyone taking part today!

Britain’s Nick Woodbridge and Joe Evans both achieved top-20 finishes in the Rio Modern Pentathlon World Cup today (Saturday).

Double Olympian Woodbridge came home in 16th place in his opening World Cup of the season, one place and one second ahead of 19-year-old Evans, competing at the second World Cup of his career.

Woodbridge got off to a decent start, winning 20 of his 35 fencing contests to put him in joint sixth place with 880 pentathlon points.

Evans, bronze medallist in California a month ago, won 13 bouts worth 712 points and putting him in joint 32nd. Hungary’s Robert Kasza, the 2012 European Championships silver medallist, led with 28 fencing victories.

In the pool, Woodbridge repeated his performance in the semis, setting the fastest time of the day. He went even quicker today with a time of 1:57.58  - more than a second and a half faster than the next best time of 1:59.20 by Egypt’s Amro El Geziry.

Woodbridge’s swim added 1392 to his fencing score, promoting him to third overall.

Evans also climbed up the leaderboard. He clocked a time of 2:03.75, the ninth fastest of the day and worth 1316 points, enough to see him climb to joint 23rd going into the ride.  Kasza continued to lead.

Woodbridge’s first World Cup campaign since London 2012 suffered a major setback during the ride – he dropped 280 points from the maximum 1200, relegating him to eighth. He started the run/shoot 59 seconds behind event leader Amro El Geziry.

Evans fared much better in the ride, dropping just 40 points to add 1160 to his total. That promoted him to ninth place, starting the run/shoot a second behind Woodbridge.

But the British pair couldn’t improve on their positions in the combined event.  Woodbridge clocked 12:13.70 with Evans on 12:13.80 to end the day in 16th and 17th places respectively.

Hungary’s London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Adam Marosi followed up his silver at the opening World Cup in California last month by taking gold in Rio.

Tomorrow (Sunday) sees the last day of action at the Rio World Cup, with the mixed relay.

World Cup 2 men’s final results

Gold: Adam Marosi (HUN) – 5768 points
Silver: Deniss Cerkovskis (LAT) – 5716 points
Bronze: Valentin Prades (FRA) – 5660 points
16th: Nick Woodridge (GBR) – 5460 points
17th: Joe Evans (GBR) – 5456 points


 

The School's Biathlon Championships will go ahead as planned on Sunday 24th March.  Light snow is currently falling at Crystal Palace but it is not settling on hard ground.  Should the track be covered in snow we will endeavor to clear it manually in the morning (feel free to help if you're there early).  Contingency plans are being made for the run to be held on grass should the track be unusable.  Spikes are very much recommended as conditions could be slippery.  Take care driving and most of all be safe.  The car park close to Crystal Palace gets full very quickly so please make use of the main car park accessed to the left of the main entrance.

Before travelling, please ensure that you check the competition entries page to make sure that your school appears on the drop down list of entered schools and that the membership number of athletes who are expecting to compete are listed.

Britain’s London 2012 Olympic silver medallist Samantha Murray just missed out on the medals in her first Modern Pentathlon World Cup of the year, coming home in fifth place in Rio de Janeiro today (Friday).

Murray had gone into the run/shoot on top of the leaderboard, but her lead was whittled away by Margaux Isaksen, the USA’s world junior champion, on the second shoot and the American went on to take gold. Olympic champion Laura Asadauskaite from Lithuania climbed from seventh to take silver.

Murray, who said ahead of the run/shoot that she was targeting a top-10 finish on her return to action after London 2012, dropped out of contention for the medals but was able to make sure of fifth. Team-mate Kate French came home 14th with Katy Burke 28th and Mhairi Spence 33rd.

Earlier in the day Murray had produced a strong finish to the fencing to end with 21 wins from 35 bouts, putting her in sixth place with 904 points. Fellow Olympian Spence also fenced well. She won 20 of her contests to put her eighth overall with 880 points.

Burke and French both found themselves just outside the top-10. The pair won 19 bouts each, putting them joint 11th and starting their campaigns with 856 points.

The action then moved on to the pool, where Murray produced another strong performance to climb to second place overall.

Murray’s 200m freestyle time of 2:11.98 was the fourth quickest of the day and saw her go to the riding arena just eight pentathlon points behind Poland’s Oktawia Nowacka.

Burke also swam well. Her 2:14.80 was the ninth fastest of the day and earned 1184 points, promoting her to sixth place overall.

Spence stayed in the top-10 courtesy of a swim of 2:18.26, the 15th fastest of the day. It added 1144 points to her total, putting her ninth. French’s 2:20.22 was the 20th fastest earning 1120 points. That saw her go to the riding arena still in the top half of the field, in 17th.

French was the first of the Brits up in the ride.  Riding Cinderella, she had two fences down early on to lose 80 points from the maximum 1200.

Spence, riding Lamaro, had seven fences down to add 920 points to her score. Burke, on board Lindaura, had thee fences down, adding 1080 of the maximum 1200 to her total.

Despite an early refusal on Janone, Murray then got her horse going well around the course without incurring any further penalties, adding 1060 points to her total.

Leader Nowacka lost 200 points from the maximum to drop down to fourth on a day when only two athletes – Brazil’s Priscila Oliveira and Isaksen of the USA – went clear in the allowed time to bag the maximum 1200 points.

That meant Murray went into the combined event at the head of the leaderboard. She started the run/shoot 34 seconds clear of Oliveira and with a 36-second advantage over Isaksen.

Burke went into the run/shoot in fifth, 41 seconds behind Murray, with French joint 11th, 57 seconds off Murray and Spence in 20th, a minute and 25 seconds off the lead.

Murray hit the five targets in six shots on her opening visit to the shooting range, but couldn’t match that next time and Isaksen went into the lead on the third shoot.

Murray clocked 13:56.40 for the run shoot, with French’s 13:49.20 the best by the Brits.  Burke completed the run/shoot in 15:39.20 and Spence in 15:31.40.

Tomorrow (Saturday) Joe Evans and Nick Woodbridge will contest the men’s final. Evans is hoping to follow his success on his World Cup debut in California a month ago, when he won the bronze medal.

Woodbridge, who represented Great Britain at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games, is contesting his first World Cup of the year

World Cup 2 women’s final results
Gold: Margaux Isaksen (USA) – 5268 points
Silver: Laura Asadauskaite (LTU) – 5224 points
Bronze: Zsofia Foldhazi (HUN) – 5176 points
5th: Samantha Murray (GBR) – 5140 points
14th: Kate French (GBR) – 4940 points
28th: Katy Burke (GBR) – 4564 points
33rd:  Mhairi Spence (GBR) – 4420 points
 

Nineteen-year-old Joe Evans and double Olympian Nick Woodbridge will fly the flag for Great Britain in the men’s final at the second World Cup of the season on Saturday (23 March).

The pair both qualified safely from today’s semi-finals at the competition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It gives Evans another chance to impress following his bronze medal on his World Cup debut in California a month.

But there was disappointment for Jamie Cooke and Sam Curry, who both missed out on the final.

This season athletes finishing in top-12 in the two semis progress direct to the final, along with the next 12 highest point scorers across both semis.

Curry started brightly in semi-final A, winning 25 of his 35 fencing bouts for 960 pentathlon points and fifth place. Evans won 21 of his contests for 10th  with 904 points.

Evans climbed to fourth with a 200m freestyle swim time of 2:02.05, the third fastest in the semi. That added 1336 points to his total. Curry’s 2:10.66 was 25th fastest in the semi, worth 1232 points, putting him ninth going into the run/shoot.

Evans started the run/shoot 15 seconds behind France’s Jean Maxence Berrou, the event leader, with Curry a further 12 seconds back.

In a closely bunched finish to semi-final A, Evans crossed the line in 11th, just four seconds behind semi winner Pierpaolo Petroni of Italy.  Evans clocked 12:33.80 for the run/shoot to make sure of his place in the final.

But Curry missed out on qualifying for back to back finals. His 13:30.50 meant he came 25th in semi-final A, putting him out of contention for the final berths.

Woodbridge, competing at his first World Cup of the year, was the early pacesetter in semi-final B. He clocked the fastest time of the day in the pool, with 1:58.38 for the 200m freestyle, earning 1380 pentathlon points.

Egypt’s Amro El Geziry swam 1:58.58 for second place and Britain’s Cooke was the only other athlete to dip below two minutes today. His time of 1:59.83 put him third going to the fencing salle with 1364 points.

Woodbridge won 21 of his 35 bouts, the joint ninth best performance in the semi, to add 904 pentathlon points to his swimming score. That meant he went to the run/shoot in third place, 13 seconds behind leader Adam Marosi, Hungary’s London 2012 bronze medallist.

Cooke won 13 bouts to add 712 points to his score, but still had lots of work to do to progress to the final from 20th place overall.

In another clustered finish, Woodbridge featured in a leading group of six athletes crossing the line together to qualify comfortably for the final. He clocked 12:57.60 for the run/shoot.

But Cooke couldn’t do enough to progress. His time of 12:48.40 saw him come home 43 seconds after the winners in 21st place.

The women return to action tomorrow (Friday), with Britain’s Olympic silver medallist Samantha Murray and world champion Mhairi Spence joined in the final by Katy Burke and Kate French.

Britain, France, Hungary, Russia and Ukraine each qualified the full complement of four women for the final.

Hundreds of talented young athletes will battle it out for honours when the British Schools Modern Biathlon Championships reach their climax in London on Sunday (24 March).

Some 750 competitors from around the country will converge on Crystal Palace National Sports Centre to take part in the final of the championships, which are organised by Pentathlon GB, the national governing body for the Olympic sport of modern pentathlon.

Many of the younger athletes will be enjoying their first experience of a multi-sport competition, tackling a separate run and swim. They will also have the opportunity to take part in fencing and shooting ‘taster’ sessions, which are being held throughout the day.

They will be following in the footsteps of some of Britain’s finest pentathletes who have previously competed at the championships. They include Jamie Cooke, Britain’s 2011 world junior champion and Joe Evans, who won bronze on his World Cup debut in California a month ago. Both are currently in Rio for the second World Cup of the year.

One young athlete hoping to add to an already impressive tally of results from past the championships is 16-year-old Emily Jenkinson. Last year Emily won the Year 11 girls’ title – her sixth successive title at the championships

This year Emily, who is from Southampton and a student at Peter Symonds College in Winchester, tackles the Year 12/13 competition. As a Year 12 student it could be a challenge.

“I don’t know that much about some of the other people I’m competing against but my training is going quite well, so I’m hoping I’ll be all right on Sunday,” she said.

“I’m going to go there and perform the best I can and hopefully that will be good enough for me to win,” she added.

There are individual and team awards up for grabs in each year group from Year 5 up to Years 12/13.

Year 5, 6 and 7 pupils and teachers complete a 50m swim and a 500m run, with Years 8 to 13 pupils tackling a 100m swim and 1000m run.

Sue Hyde, Pentathlon GB’s National Competitions and Events Manager, said: “We’re really looking forward to Sunday’s event. The Schools Biathlon is a fantastic opportunity for young people to have their first go at competing in a multi-sport event and we hope that if they enjoy it, they may decide to go on to try out a full pentathlon one day.

“Following a very successful Olympic Games where Samantha Murray won silver, it’s particularly important for modern pentathlon that we inspire young people and encourage them to take part in the sport,” she added.

“We have an impressive track record in modern pentathlon, and it’s possible some of the young people competing at Crystal Palace on Sunday will go on to represent Great Britain in the sport at a future Olympic Games.”

The action gets underway at 9.30am with the Year 9 boys and girls swimming heats and the last of the presentations is scheduled for 5pm.

There is a full timetable at www.pentathlongb.org/uploads/2013_SchoolsTimetableCP_Final.pdf

Results will be posted at www.pentathlongb.org/schools/index.php?tab=3

You can also follow our coverage of the action on our Facebook and Twitter pages at www.facebook.com/PentathlonGB and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PentathlonGB

Pentathlon GB is the National Governing Body for the Olympic Sport of Modern Pentathlon. For further information please see www.pentathlongb.org

For further information members of the media can contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or 07765 071683.

Congratulations to all the pentathletes who have been selected for the forthcoming International at Sant Boi, Spain on 26th - 28th April. They are:

Pentathlon GB would like to wish all the athletes good luck in the competition.

All four British women in action at the Rio Modern Pentathlon World Cup have qualified safely for Friday’s final.

London 2012 silver medallist Samantha Murray and world champion Mhairi Spence progressed from their semis today, in their first World Cups since the Olympics.  They will be joined in the final by Katy Burke and Kate French.

Murray and French both went in semi-final B, which started with the fencing. French achieved 19 wins from 31 bouts to start the day in sixth with 916 points. Murray’s 15 wins put her 16th on 804 points.

French maintained her top-10 position overall, in the swim with a time of 2:35.25 for the 200m freestyle. She added 1084 points to her total to go into the combined event in seventh place, 21 seconds behind Russia’s Donata Rimsaite, who led.

Murray started the run/shoot three seconds behind French. Her swim of 2:14.99 was the fourth fastest of the semi-final and the fastest achieved by the British team on the day. It earned her 1184 pentathlon points, pushing her up to joint ninth.

French cruised into the final in sixth place overall in semi-final B courtesy of a run/shoot time of 13:50.50, the joint eighth best of the day.  She came home 15 seconds behind Rimsaite to progress to Friday’s final.

Murray also did enough to progress. She clocked 13:55.10, the 13th fastest time and 23 seconds back from Rimsaite.  Her 13th place finish overall was enough to see her progress safely to the final.

In semi-final A, the athletes started in the pool, where both Burke and Spence achieved top-10 finishes for the 200m freestyle swim.

Burke’s 2:16.06 was the fourth fastest time in the semi, earning 1168 points. Spence’s 2:18.95 was the ninth fastest and worth 1136 points.

Burke won half of her 30 fencing bouts to add 832 pentathlon points to her total. That saw her go into the run/shoot in 13th place, one spot off an automatic route through to the final.  She started the run/shoot 43 seconds behind London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Laura Asadauskaite of Lithuania, who led the field.

Spence started the run/shoot in 16th place, 47 seconds behind the Lithuanian, after winning 17 of her 30 fencing contests to add 848 points to her total.

The British pair both made sure of places in Friday’s final.  Spence’s 14:06.70 saw her end the day 17th  overall, while Burke’s 14:23.00 put her 18th. Asadauskaite topped the leaderboard.

This season, for the first time, the top 12 finishers in the two semis progress automatically to the final along with the 12th next highest points scorers.

“All four athletes are through to the final. They’re all there and that was what we were aiming for, so I’m happy,” said Istvan Nemeth, Pentathlon GB women’s head coach.

Tomorrow (Thursday) Britain’s men go into action in their semis.  Joe Evans, bronze medallist on his World Cup debut in California a month ago, is joined by double Olympian Nick Woodbridge, along with Jamie Cooke and Sam Curry.

The GB team for Modern Pentathlon World Cup 2 is:

Women
Katy Burke – 01.06,89, Cleveleys, near Blackpool - Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, Meopham, Gravesend - 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 Curry – 03.09.93, Redhill - Bath
Joe Evans  - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire - Bath
Nick Woodbridge – 01.07.86, Telford, Shropshire - Bath

World Cup 2 schedule
Wednesday 20 March – women’s semi-finals
Thursday 21 March – men’s semi-finals
Friday 22 March – women’s final
Saturday 23 March – men’s final
Sunday 24 March – 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.

Pentathlon GB Performance Team issues additional clarification of calculations of the 2013 Pentathlon GB Ranking List number 9 selecting the teams for the Youth Sant Boi International, 26 – 29 April.

Note the following will be incorporated to the 2013 Pentathlon GB Youth Selection Policy:

Amendment to the 2013 Pentathlon GB Youth Selection Policy

Delete current paragraph 12.4.1

Insert updated paragraph:

12.4.1 Fencing: The two best results from the National Youth Selections 1, 2 and 3/2013 will be averaged to calculate the Athlete’s fencing score.
 

The UIPM have announced the venue and date for the 2013 Biathle World Championships. They will be staged in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, Egypt on 5th and 6th October.

Further details will be made available on the calendar as they become available.

BUCS Modern Pentathlon and Biathlon 2013

8-9 March saw 160 athletes from 21 universities and colleges descend on Oxford for the BUCS Modern Pentathlon and Modern Biathlon Championships. The annual competition attracts the top athletes in full time education and the standard is excellent. In the Ladies Modern Pentathlon Rebecca Wain of Aberdeen University topped the results with 5,124 point, whilst Tom Lees came top in the Men’s competition with 5,616 points. In the 3 person team event, Oxford University A showed their strength by averaging over 5,000 points each, beating off both Edinburgh University and Cambridge A. 

In the biathlon, records fell in the swimming pool with Guy Giles of Birmingham University recording 1.55.  But the overall event was won by Phil Sesemann of Leeds University who racked up a staggering 2,643 points with a superb 3.59 over 1,500m. Competition was just as fierce in the Ladies’ event with Catherine Taylor of Gloucester University narrowly winning with 2,407 points. In the Ladies’ team events, Leeds University women won comfortably, whilst Leeds University Men’s A narrowly beat Birmingham University A in the Men’s competition.

However, these championships are also about the grass-roots level in university sport. 2013 saw more than 15 pentathletes and 2 universities entering a competition for the first time. The standards achieved across the competition showed a dedication to training in all the disciplines. The competition has always prided itself on a competitive but friendly atmosphere, and this was successfully achieved again. 

Numbers in the Oxford University 6^th Form Competition were lower than in previous years, but the Men’s winner, John Allen of Gravesend Grammar School, kept the standard high with an impressive 5,564. Volunteer numbers were up with more than 25 people assisting with timing, marshalling, refereeing and scoring. 

Full results can be found at http://www.oxbridgepentathlon.org.uk/BUCS. 2014’s competition will take place on 14-15 March.

Written by Jonathon Wright, photo courtesy of Paul Wain. 

National Youth Selection Competition 16^th – 17^th March 2013

Performance Team has analysed the entries for the National Youth Selection Competition being held on 16^th – 17^th March 2013. The number of athletes that have annotated the use of Air Pistol on their Entry Form is less than expected. Performance Team with assistance from the Regions and the Army, within certain limitations, is now in the position to create additional opportunity for athletes to use a Laser Pistol instead of Air Pistol. This would be provided at no cost or hire charge to the individual athletes. However note that it will be necessary for some athletes wishing to take on the opportunity to use Laser technology to be issued a different pistol to their own.

The programme of transfer of Laser barrels / pistols would be:

YAG :  Friday 15^th March                   6pm – 7.15pm Hartpury Sports Academy

YAB :   Friday 15^th March                   6pm – 7.15pm Hartpury Sports Academy

YBG :  Saturday 16^th March               Immediately following the YAB combined event at the competition range

YBB :   Sunday 17^th March                 Immediately following the YBG combined event and given sufficient time to sight in the pistols

YAG and YAB arriving after 7.15pm on Friday the 15^th of March should report to the bottom Sports Hall at Hartpury College were the members of the Performance Team will be available to assist until 9pm. YA athletes not arriving on Friday evening can have pistols adapted / issued on Saturday morning.

Notification:Athletes that would like to make use of this opportunity are to notify immediately the WCTP Coach (Csiga) istvan.gallai@pentathlongb.orgwith manufacturer of Air Pistol but not later than 1200hrs on Thursday the 14^th of March 2013. Please copy the Pathway Manager Stuart Mason stuart.mason@pentathlongb.orgon all communications.

Olympic silver medallist Samantha Murray and world champion Mhairi Spence will contest their first Modern Pentathlon World Cup of the year when they compete at Rio de Janeiro later this month.

They will be joined in a strong GB team by double Olympian Nick Woodbridge, who also goes in his first World Cup of the season, 2011 world junior champion Jamie Cooke and 19-year-old Joe Evans, who won bronze on his World Cup debut in Palm Springs two weeks ago.

Katy Burke and Kate French also go for Great Britain in the women’s competition with Sam Curry completing the men’s quartet for World Cup 2, which runs from 20 to 24 March.

The competition in Rio is the latest step in the GB team’s preparations for the 2013 World Championships in Chinese Taipei in August and the build-up to the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.

Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: “This is the first of four seasons leading up to Rio. There is a long way to, but the whole process is aimed towards Rio.

“Samantha and Mhairi had a long, exhausting and very successful 2012 season, so we’ve given them time to regroup and come back to training gradually.

“This is an opportunity to see how much performance level they have carried forward from 2012 and to see where their potential strengths and gaps are at the moment.

“It’s also a priceless for the team to check out the travel, transition, acclimatisation, culture and food in Rio,” he added.

Murray (pictured) returns to international action after winning Team GB’s 65th and last medal of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

She said: “This will be the first time I’ve been to Brazil, so I’m really looking forward to the experience and to competing again. It will be good to get back in the saddle again and do another pentathlon.”

Spence, who won the individual World Championship title in Rome last year, said: “It will be good to get there and have a run out. I’m in decent shape and I’m looking forward to getting back into the competitive season.”

The GB team for Modern Pentathlon World Cup 2 is:

Women
Katy Burke – 01.06,89, Cleveleys, near Blackpool - Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, Meopham, Gravesend - 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 Curry – 03.09.93, Redhill - Bath
Joe Evans  - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire - Bath
Nick Woodbridge – 01.07.86, Telford, Shropshire - Bath

World Cup 2 schedule
Wednesday 20 March – women’s semi-finals
Thursday 21 March – men’s semi-finals
Friday 22 March – women’s final
Saturday 23 March – men’s final
Sunday 24 March – 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.

Entry details have now been received for the European Biathle Championships to be held in Setubal, Portugal over the weekend of 20th and 21st July. This event will also be part of the Biathle World Tour so, in effect, will comprise two competitions within one for the GBR team. The organisers have provided packages for Lisbon airport transfers and accommodation in Setabul at two hotels. See the calendar for further details.

Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) is the governing body for the Olympic sport of Modern Pentathlon. Modern Pentathlon has been on the Olympic Programme since 1912 following the conception by Baron Pierre de Coubertin to include a unique sport reflective of the ancient pentathlon. The five disciplines of Modern Pentathlon are fencing, swimming, equestrian, laser shooting and 3,200m run.

UIPM has created a new and challenging post, based at its Headquarters in Monaco. The Development Manager will be in charge of managing the UIPM Strategic Plans for Development programmes and will report to the UIPM Secretary General.

Key Responsibilities

·      To manage the launching of any initiatives proposed  in the Strategic Plans for the Development of Modern Pentathlon as agreed by the UIPM Executive Board

·      To manage, develop and improve existing UIPM Development Programmes such as

-        Certification courses for National Federation Coaches

-        Development competitions such as World School Biathlon, Triathle and Tetrathlon

-        Creation of new Modern Pentathlon federations

·      To create best practice manuals for Continental Confederations and National Federations

·      To develop new projects and ideas for UIPM Development

·      To manage Olympic Solidarity and other funding programmes

·      Create an integral an comprehensive marketing and sponsorship plan in coordination with UIPM partners and stakeholders

·      Work with the UIPM Communications Manager to increase media presence and sponsorship at UIPM events

·      To retain existing clients by ensuring they receive excellent customer service and then keep a dialogue open to ensure they are aware of all future opportunities

·      To proactively identify and source new business

·      To work alongside the UIPM EB Member for Marketing to constantly review UIPM’s hospitality product to ensure it is of the highest standards

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

·      Educated to University degree level preferably in the fields of sport management

·      Minimum of 3 years of experience in the field of sport and event management in major sporting events or organization

·      Any other relevant sport industry experience is an asset

·      Experience in policy development, project management, knowledge transfer,

·      implementation and monitoring of all levels of sport projects

·      A solid knowledge and understanding of the international sports community

Preferred Skills:

·      Strong organizational skills with the ability to set and manage priorities and cope with a demanding workload

·      Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels

·      The ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

·      Problem solving skills

·      High level of attention to detail

·      Willingness to travel and flexibility

·      Enthusiastic and motivational

Languages:

English is the working languages of the UIPM headquarters. Fluency in oral and written English is a must. Working knowledge of other languages, in particular French is an advantage.

Other Skills:

Excellent computer skills (Microsoft Office) is required, as well as ability to keep abreast of technological developments in the field of business management

Immediate Start

Deadline for Applications: 10 March 2013

Apply Here:  http://www.sportsrecruitment.com/jobs/details/937/development-manager

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.

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.