London 2012 have today launched a new app for the iPhone and Android devices to help you follow what is going on at the Games.

The Official London 2012 Join In app is a mobile guide to help you plan, enjoy and share your Games experience.

This FREE app is an essential planning tool for everyone, whether you have tickets for a sporting event or not. From the start of the Olympic Torch Relay to the Olympics and Paralympics, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, plus all the cultural, city and community celebrations happening across the UK, Join In is your essential companion.

Click this link to get more information and download the app.

The team selections for the European Youth A Championships and European Youth B Championships are now on the Team Selection Page

Individual athletes have been notified

Results from the NYSC #2 at Hartpury this weekend will appear on this item as the competition unfolds.

We will tweet updates as they become available.

After 2 events - YAB;   YAG

Swim

YAB

YAG

YBB

YBG

Final Results

YAB

YAG

NEWS ITEM from 26th February 2012 - please note the deadline is by today 16th March 2012.

A REMINDER that National Youth Selection Compeion NYSC#2 will be conducted using laser technology as that is the format likely to be used at European Youth and World Youth compeions in 2012.

We understand that lack of access to laser equipment could prevent you from competing, so Pentathlon GB will try to provide the laser equipment appropriate for your own pistol at no cost to yourself however you need to let the WC Pathway Manager (stuart.mason@pentathlongb.org) know by  16th March 2012 (which is earlier than the closing date) notifying us of the precise make and model of your pistol – without this information we are unable to confirm the availability of laser equipment. It must be noted that if your pistol is not one that is compatible with current supplies of laser barrels you will have to use a different complete pistol that will be provided for you. See http://www.iq-sport.tv/en/FAQ/pistols for more information. Equipment will be fitted on either the evening of 4th May or morning of 5th May 2012 following which you will be given basic instruction and the opportunity to practice. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact either Bernie Moss (Bernie.moss@pentathlongb.org ) or Istvan Gallai (istvan.gallai@freemail.hu)   

The GB Youth International for Youth A athletes got underway this morning at the GB Modern Pentathlon Academy at Hartpury, Gloucester. Athletes representing GBR, HUN, POR, GER, ESP and JPN are competing.

Results for the event will appear in this news item during the course of the day, so keep checking for updates as the competition unfolds.

Boys Swim

Boys Fence

Boys CE

Boys Final

Girls Swim

Girls Fence

Girls CE

Girls Final

The 2012 World Cup Series gets underway this week with World Cup #1 being held in Charlotte, USA on 8-11 March.

UIPM will again be offering all the Pentathlon fans across the globe, a free of charge live webcast of all the finals action. The women's Final is on Saturday 10 March & men's Final on Sunday 11 March. Please note all times are local time -5 GMT.

• Fencing LIVE- 8:30-11:30
• Fence & Swim Highlights – 14:30-15:20
• Riding LIVE – 15:20-16:35
• Fence & Swim Highlights – 16:35-17:40
• Combined Event LIVE – 17:40-18:00
• Interviews LIVE – 18:00-18:10
• Awards Ceremony LIVE – 18:10-18:30

A REMINDER that National Youth Selection Competition NYSC#2 will be conducted using laser technology as that is the format likely to be used at European Youth and World Youth competitions in 2012.

We understand that lack of access to laser equipment could prevent you from competing, so Pentathlon GB will try to provide the laser equipment appropriate for your own pistol at no cost to yourself however you need to let the WC Pathway Manager (stuart.mason@pentathlongb.org) know by  16th March 2012 (which is earlier than the closing date) notifying us of the precise make and model of your pistol – without this information we are unable to confirm the availability of laser equipment. It must be noted that if your pistol is not one that is compatible with current supplies of laser barrels you will have to use a different complete pistol that will be provided for you. See http://www.iq-sport.tv/en/FAQ/pistols for more information. Equipment will be fitted on either the evening of 4th May or morning of 5th May 2012 following which you will be given basic instruction and the opportunity to practice. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact either Bernie Moss (Bernie.moss@pentathlongb.org ) or Istvan Gallai (istvan.gallai@freemail.hu)  

The Entry Form for NYSC2 is now available on the PGB Website 

British modern pentathlete Samantha Murray continued her impressive start to 2012 by winning the Hungarian Indoor Championships in Budapest at the weekend.
 
And there was further good news for Great Britain with Beijing 2008 Olympian Katy Livingston taking bronze.
 
Murray followed up her win at the final national selection competition in Bath last month by taking gold in Budapest, comfortably beating Lithuania’s world number two Laura Asadauskaite into second place.
 
Murray is originally from Clitheroe in Lancashire but now combining training at the Pentathlon GB high performance centre with studying for a degree in French and Politics at the University of Bath. She said: “It was a good weekend to have a competition and see where I am at the moment.
 
“Winning was great, but I’m not going to get carried away. It’s good to see some of the changes I’ve made over the winter are working and hopefully I can take this forward to the next World Cup.
 
“The squad has been training really hard and the hard work has paid off,” she added.
 
Livingston came home in third place, eight seconds behind the Lithuanian with Kate French seventh and Kerry Prise 18th.
 
Murray returns to action at the opening World Cup of the year in Charlotte, the USA, from 8 to 11 March. She is joined by Heather Fell, Freyja Prentice and Mhairi Spence in the women’s team, with Jamie Cooke, Steven Mason, Sam Weale and Nick Woodbridge going in the men’s competition.
 
Women’s results:
Gold: Samantha Murray (GBR) – 5564
Silver: Laura Asadauskaite (LTU) – 5452
Bronze: Katy Livingston (GBR) - 5420
7th: Kate French (GBR) – 5336
18th: Kerry Prise (GBR) – 5188
 
GB men’s results:
25th: Thomas Toolis (GBR) – 5640
33rd: Ollie Robinson (GBR) – 5512
38th: James Myatt (GBR) – 5384
45th: Samuel Curry (GBR) – 5204
 

Olympic hopefuls Jamie Cooke and Nick Woodbridge speak to the Evening Stadard about their hopes for London 2012. Read the full story here.

Olympic silver medallist Heather Fell, world number four Mhairi Spence and world junior number two Freyja Prentice will contest both of the opening two Modern Pentathlon World Cups of 2012.
 
The trio have been selected for the GB team for World Cup 1 in Charlotte, USA in March and also World Cup 2 in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, also in March.
 
They will be joined at WorldCup 1 by Samantha Murray, with Beijing 2008 Olympian Katy Livingston completing the British women’s team at World Cup 2. Livingston will also be reserve for the opening World Cup with Katy Burke reserve for World Cup 2.
 
The selections follow the third of three national selection competitions at the Pentathlon GB High Performance Centre at the University of Bath last weekend.
 
The World Cups are particularly significant this year as GB athletes need to perform well to secure places on the four-strong women’s team for the World Championships in Rome in May, which is the next opportunity to achieve the London 2012 Olympic qualifying standard.
 
Prentice, aged 21, is the only British woman pentathlete to have achieved that standard to date. Of the British men reigning world junior champion Jamie Cooke, aged 20, has also achieved the Olympic qualification standard. With further qualification opportunities to come, neither are guaranteed places on the GB team for 2012.
 
The British men’s team for the opening World Cups of the year was announced on Wednesday. The full British teams for World Cup 1 and 2 are listed below.

World Cup 1 – 8 to 11 March, Charlotte USA
 
Women
Freyja Prentice (lives: Bath/ home: Inverurie)
Mhairi Spence (Bath/Farr near Inverness)
Heather Fell (Bath/Tavistock, Devon)
Samantha Murray  (Bath/Clitheroe, Lancashire)
Reserve: Katy Livingston (Bath/Guisborough, Cleveland)
 
Men
Jamie Cooke  (Bath/Cheltenham)
Nick Woodbridge (Bath/Telford)
Sam Weale  (Bath/ East Coker near Yeovil)
Steven Mason (Bath/Thornton-Cleveleys near Blackpool)
 
World Cup 2 – 12-15 March, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Women
Freyja Prentice (Bath/Inverurie)
Mhairi Spence (Bath/Farr near Inverness)
Heather Fell (Bath/Tavistock, Devon)
Katy Livingston (Bath/Guisborough, Cleveland)
Reserve: Katy Burke (Bath/Cleveleys near Blackpool)
 
Men
Jamie Cooke (Bath/Cheltenham)
Nick Woodbridge (Bath/Telford)
Sam Weale (Bath/ East Coker near Yeovil)
Steven Mason (Bath/Thornton-Cleveleys near Blackpool)
 
For a list of British pentathletes selected for competitions in February and March please see the Pentathlon GB website here.

Beijing 2008 Olympians Sam Weale and Nick Woodbridge feature along withworld junior champion Jamie Cooke in Britain’s four-strong men’s team for the opening two modern pentathlon World Cups of the 2012.
 
The trio are joined in the team by Steven Mason, who secured a berth for the first two World Cups with fourth place in the British ranking list following three national selection competitions in December and January.
 
Woodbridge, who won bronze at last year’s World Cup Final, topped the rankings, with Cooke second and Weale third.
 
The battle now begins in earnest for Britain’s men to bid to achieve the qualification standard for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
 
So far 20-year-old Cooke is the only British man athlete to have achieved the standard, but with a maximum of two athletes per gender per nation competing in the modern pentathlon at the Games, he isn’t guaranteed a place at the Games.
 
The next opportunity for British athletes to achieve the qualifying standard comes at the World Championships in Rome in May, when they need tofinish in the top-three.
 
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, predicted there will be tough competition for places on the team for 2012.
 
“It’s going to be a tough competition,” he said. “These guys aren’t second class pentathletes. They can realistically go to the Games and have a chance to compete well there.
 
“Our priority is to give the top athletes the maximum opportunity to qualify for the World Championships and the Olympic Games.
 
“Hopefully the competition within the team will help them to push each other beyond their expectations.
 
“We’re looking for consistency of performance this season,” he added. “I would like to see a high standard of performance this season which means they will qualify from the semi-finals with less damage and then hopefully be in the top-15 in the finals. “

The quartet all train at the Pentathlon GB High Performance Centre at the University of Bath. Cooke is originally from Cheltenham, Mason from Thornton-Cleveleys near Blackpool, Weale is from East Coker near Yeovil and Woodbridge from Telford.
 
The opening World Cup of the year takes place at Charlotte in the USA from 8 to 11 March and is followed by second at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil from 15 to 18 March.
 
The women’s team for the opening World Cups will be announced shortly. Teams for the remaining World Cups in Hungary and Russia in April will be announced at a later date.
 

Jamie Cooke was today (Wednesday) named winner of the British Olympic Association Modern Pentathlon Olympic athlete of the year award at the end of a season that saw him achieve the London 2012 qualification standard and win the World Junior Championships.
 
Cooke’s stunning 2011 saw him climb to second in the junior world rankings and 14th in the senior world rankings.
 
The 20-year-old has also established himself as the fastest swimmer on the senior circuit, breaking modern pentathlon 200m freestyle world records in three successive swims in competitions in the summer. 
 
Cooke, who trains at the Pentathlon GB high performance centre at the University of Bath, said: "I'm really pleased to receive this award, but itcould have gone to so many of the athletes in the British pentathlon team.
 
“Mhairi Spence and Heather Fell won World Cup medals this year, Nick Woodbridge won a World Cup Final medal and Freyja Prentice won medals at both the World and European Junior Championships.
 
“We've had some really good results this year and that bodes well in the run-up to the Games."
 
Cooke, who is originally from Cheltenham, combines training with studying for a degree in Business Administration and Geography at Bath Spa University. He started 2011 outside the top-50 in the senior world rankings.
 
Cooke became the first British pentathlete to achieve the London 2012 qualifying stared when he finished fourth at the senior European Championships at Medway in Kent in July. The following day Freyja Prentice finished eighth in the women’s final to join him in achieving the qualifying standard. Neither are guaranteed places on the team with strong competition for places and further qualification opportunities in 2012. A maximum of two modern pentathletes per gender per nation can compete at the 2012 Olympics.

He followed the European Championships by taking gold at the World Junior Championships in Argentina last month.
 
2012 modern pentathlon calendar
 
21.01.12 – 22.01.12                      National Selection Competition 3,  University of Bath  
08.03.12 – 11.03.12                      World Cup 1          Charlotte, USA
15.03.12 – 18.03.12                      World Cup 2          Rio, Brazil        
12.04.12 – 15.04.12                      World Cup 3          Szazhalombata, Hungary     
19.04.12 – 22.04.12                      World Cup 4          Rostov, Russia          
07.05.12 – 13.05.12                      World Champs     Rome, Italy      
26.05.12 – 27.05.12                      World Cup Final    Chengdu, China        
11.08.12                                        London 2012 Olympic men’s competition
12.08.12                                        London 2012 Olympic women’s competition

A REMINDER that National Youth Selection Competition NYSC#2 will be conducted using laser technology as that is the format likely to be used at European Youth and World Youth competitions in 2012.

We understand that lack of access to laser equipment could prevent you from competing, so Pentathlon GB will try to provide the laser equipment appropriate for your own pistol at no cost to yourself however you need to let the WC Pathway Manager (stuart.mason@pentathlongb.org) know by  16th March 2012 (which is earlier than the closing date) notifying us of the precise make and model of your pistol – without this information we are unable to confirm the availability of laser equipment. It must be noted that if your pistol is not one that is compatible with current supplies of laser barrels you will have to use a different complete pistol that will be provided for you. See http://www.iq-sport.tv/en/FAQ/pistols for more information. Equipment will be fitted on either the evening of 4th May or morning of 5th May 2012 following which you will be given basic instruction and the opportunity to practice. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact either Bernie Moss (Bernie.moss@pentathlongb.org ) or Istvan Gallai (istvan.gallai@freemail.hu)  

The Entry Form for NYSC2 is now available on the PGB Website

Beijing 2008 Olympians Sam Weale and Heather Fell ended the year on a high note by winning the senior titles at the British Modern Pentathlon Championships at the University of Bath at the weekend.

Jamie Cooke and Freyja Prentice – who finished first and third in their respective World Junior Championships last month – won the British Junior Championships titles.

Cooke actually achieved the highest score in the men’s competition, which also doubled as the second of three national selection events for the British team for the 2012 season.

His score of 5724 included the fastest swim of the day – with a time of 1:56.26 – and he also went clear in the ride. That enabled the World Junior Champion, who has already achieved the London 2012 qualifying standard, to collect the British junior title.

Weale, who dropped to 48th in the overall world rankings this year, produced a good all-round performance to take the men’s senior title for the first time since 2009.

David Atkinson was second, Thomas Barber third and Nick Woodbridge, who finished second behind Weale in the opening national selection competition at the start of the month, came fourth this time around.

In the women’s competition, Prentice and Fell finished level on 5404 points with Prentice taking the junior title and Fell the senior.

Fell, the Beijing 2008 silver medallist and former world number one, topped the senior rankings in the fence and combined event and also went clear in the ride, with Katy Burke coming second, Samantha Murray third and Katy Livingston fourth overall.

Prentice topped the junior rankings from Kate French, Rebecca Wain, Lydia Rosling and Kerry Prise.

Mhairi Spence won the opening national selection competition at the start of the month and did not compete this time around.

Both Cooke and Prentice have achieved the London 2012 qualifying standard, although neither are guaranteed a place at the OlympicGames as there are further qualifying opportunities. A maximum of two athletes per gender per nation can compete at the 2012 Games.

For full results please go to the Pentathlon GB website at https://www.pentathlongb.org/competitions/results.php

The third and final national selection competition takes place the weekend of 21 and 22 January.

For further information please contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or see the Pentathlon GB website at www.pentathlongb.org

The UIPM is the international federation for modern pentathlon. Their website is at www.pentathlon.org

Following the conclusion of the National Selection Competition #1/2012 on 03–04 December 2011, Pentathlon GB have reviewed the success of the event and after consideration have taken the decision to conduct the Combined Event at National Selection Competition #2/2012 using laser instead of pellet and drop down targets.

We have once again secured the services of IQ Operate, a German based laser company. IQ Operate will be available at no expense to the competitors for the purposes of offering familiarisation training, technical support and advice. Practice sessions will be scheduled at the outdoor range on Saturday morning (Women) or afternoon (Men). This decision was considered carefully having taken into account that the vast majority of athletes entered for NSC #2 competed successfully in the combined event at NSC #1 using laser. With the support of IQ Operate and members of the PGB Performance Team we feel there is a strong case to recognise that laser is the future of our sport and that this is a further opportunity to compete with laser as we approach the Olympic Games.

We would very much encourage all athletes entered to compete and take advantage of the opportunity. However, should any athlete wish to withdraw we will of course offer a full refund. As those involved in Modern Pentathlon will be aware there has been significant uncertainty about the implementation of the laser technology by UIPM. Pentathlon GB will continue to do all we can to influence the UIPM to ensure we can confidently advise our members and introduce laser technology into training and competition in future across the country.

The 2012 Pentathlon GB Senior and Junior Selection Policy will be amended to reflect the change in format – updated copies will be available from HQ upon request from the 12th of December 2011.

Jon Austin
CEO Pentathlon GB

Please see the Competitions Entries page for the timetable and competitor information about the Selection Compeitition 2 and the Senior/Junior British Championships on the 17th/18th December. 

Freyja Prentice and Lydia Rosling ended the Modern Pentathlon World Junior Championships on a high note by winning Great Britain’s third gold and fourth medal of the campaign.

The pair collected gold in the women’s relay on the final day of the championships in Argentina today (Monday).

It means the Great Britain team – which trains at the Pentathlon GB High Performance Centre at the University of Bath - won golds on each of the three days of finals at the championships and took three of the seven golds up for grabs.

Prentice and Rosling were joined by Kate French in winning the women’s team gold on Saturday, when Prentice also won the individual bronze medal.

And Jamie Cooke won individual gold in yesterday’s (Sunday) men’s final in Buenos Aires.

Prentice and Rosling were in fifth place after the ride in today's women's relay, but managed to beat the German team of Janine Kohlmann and Annika Schleu into second place to add athird gold to the GB team's already impressive haul.

“I’m very happy that we could end the championships like this,” said Prentice, who crossed the finish line to take gold. “The Germans, Hungarians, Russians and Ukrainians all had good teams in the relay today and we knew they wouldn’t be easy to beat.

 “We were always near the top but never quite in front today and that took the pressure off us. We kept our heads down and it paid off.

“Jamie’s gold made the competition. It was amazing to get an individual gold,” she added. “We couldn’t have asked for a better championships – it’s been amazing."

The British pairing of Kate French and James Myatt – both originally from Kent – finished just outside the podium positions in the mixed relay today. They finished fourth among the 20 teams competing.

Jamie Cooke couldn’t add to the gold he won in the individual competition yesterday (Sunday). Cooke and team-mate Steve Mason finished ninth in the men’s relay.

World Junior Championships relay results

Men’s
Gold: Korea (Woojin Hwang & Soengjin Kim) - 8720
Silver: France (Valentin Prades & Geoffrey Megi) - 8632
Bronze: Germany (Patrick Dogue & Christopher Krause) – 8614
9th: Great Britain (Jamie Cooke & Steven Mason) - 8432

Women’s
Gold: Great Britain (Freyja Prentice & Lydia Rosling) - 8074
Silver: Germany (Janine Kohlmann & Annika Schleu) - 8062
Bronze: Hungary (Adrienn Toth & Zsofia Foldhazi) - 8038

Mixed
Gold: Hungary (Sarolta Kovacs & Bence Demeter) - 5972
Silver: China (Ye Zhang & Jiahao Han) - 5894
Bronze: Russia (Gulnas Gubaydullina & Ilya Shugarov) – 5838
4th: Great Britain (Kate French & James Myatt) – 5726

 

Britain’s Jamie Cooke is the new Modern Pentathlon World Junior Champion after producing a terrific performance in Argentina today (Sunday).
 
The 20-year-old left himself with plenty to do after finishing joint 29th in the first pentathlon discipline of fencing. But he produced a trademark powerful swim, an impressive ride and a strong run/shoot to finish the day on top of the podium in Buenos Aires.
 
It takes Britain’s medal tally at the championships so far to three medals after Freyja Prentice’s individual bronze in the women’s final on Saturday, when the women’s team of Prentice, Kate French and Lydia Rosling also won the team gold.
 
“This is an amazing achievement, just fantastic,” said Cooke who is originally from Cheltenham but now trains at the Pentathlon GB High Performance Centre at the University of Bath and lives in the city.
 
“I think this is my biggest achievement yet,” said Cooke, who has already achieved the London 2012 qualifying standard, but is not yet certain of place on the team.
 
“I didn’t expect to win here today, especially after my fence, I just couldn't get a hit. My main goal at this event was to get experience for next year’s senior tour.
 
“There was a lot of pressure on me in the run/shoot as there were some fantastic runners around me. I also thought I had something to prove after the European Juniors," he said.
 
“I was second at the World Youths a few years ago and when I realised I had a chance of winning after the second shoot here today I told myself  there would be no way that I would be coming second.”
 
Philipp Waeffler, men’s head coach for Pentathlon GB, said: “It was a bit of a slow start, but after the fencing everything went really, really well. Jamie w[censored]trong mentally throughout the day and I’m very happy for him.”
 
Cooke went into the run/shoot in fifth place 14 seconds behind leader Kim Soengjin of Korea in a run/shoot in which the top-10 starters were separated by just 30seconds.
 
Cooke was one of a group of five pentathletes that left the shooting range together at the end of the first shoot.
 
Cheered on by the other members of the GB team who weren’t competing today, he took the lead after the second of three shoots and crossed the finish line five seconds clear of Kazhakstan’s Pavel Iliashenko to take gold.
                                                                           
Earlier Cooke was joint 29th after the fencing, where he won 14 contests. But he powered his way up the leaderboard with another phenomenal swim – his 200m freestyle time of 1:53.56 was almost seven seconds faster than the second quickest time.
 
That propelled him from 29th place to go into the ride in seventh. Cooke continued his momentum in the ride. He went clear in the riding arena but ac[censored]ulated eight time penalties. That meant he added 1192 points to his total to go into the run/shoot in fifth.
 
Cooke achieved the London 2012 qualifying standard by finishing fourth at the senior European Championships at Medway in Kent in August, but came 21st at the European Junior Championships in Poland in September. He went to Argentina ranked at three in the world junior rankings.
 
Britain’s last Modern Pentathlon World Junior Champion was Heather Fell, who took the women’s title in Greece in 2003.
 
With only Cooke qualifying for the men’s final, GB finished 12th in the team compe[censored]ion.
 
Cooke returns to action partnering Steven Mason in the men’s relay tomorrow (Monday). Prentice and Rosling contest the women’s relay with James Myatt and Kate French going in the mixed relay.
 
World Junior Championships results
Individual
Gold: Jamie Cooke (GBR)  - 5880 pts
Silver:  Pavel Iliashenko (KAZ) – 5860 pts
Bronze: Alexander Nobis (GER) – 5856 pts
 
Team
Gold: Korea
Silver: Russia
Bronze: Belarus
12th: Great Britain (Jamie Cooke, Steven Mason, James Myatt)
 
Please note, the time in Buenos Aires is three hours behind GMT.
 

Photo: www.pentathlon.org

Freyja Prentice won individual bronze and helped Great Britain retain the team gold at the Modern Pentathlon World Junior Championships in Argentina today (Saturday).
 
Prentice followed her individual bronze at the European Junior Championships in Poland two months with a repeat performance in Buenos Aires.
 
And with team-mates Lydia Rosling and Kate French both achieving top-10 finishes, Great Britain successfully defended the team title they won at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Hungary.
 
Prentice has already achieved the London 2012 qualifying standard, but isn’t yet certain of a place on the British Olympic team.
 
She climbed from fourth place into a podium position in the run/shoot in Buenos Aires today, although she had to produce a strong run to make up for some missed shots.
 
“I didn’t shoot very well today, so I was lucky I had the run to claim those places back,” she said. “I was really pleased with the rest of my day – I had the best fence of my life.
 
“I’m really pleased with the team gold, the other two girls did brilliantly,” added Prentice, who took individual silver at last year World Juniors.
 
Lydia Rosling went into the run/shoot in 10th but climbed to fifth while team-mate Kate French finished eighth. Kerry Prise, competing at her first World Junior Championships, came 21st.
 
Rosling added: “We were second in the team event at the European Juniors, so to win gold at the World Juniors is a really good performance. I should be really pleased with finishing fifth in the world and I’m sure it will sink in soon.”

The GB team train at the Pentathlon GB high performance centre at the University of Bath. Prentice is originally from Inverurie in Scotland, with Prise from Aberdeen. Rosling is originally from Somerset and French from Kent.
 
Prentice led the British challenge early on, winning 25 of her 35 fencing bouts to put her joint second after the first discipline with 1000 points. It was a performance that was only bettered by Russia’s Alise Fakhrutdinova with 28 wins.
 
French also fenced well, winning 22 contests for sixth place, while Rosling’s 16 wins put her 20th and Prise’s 15 put her equal 24th.
 
It meant Britain were in joint second place with Ukraine behind Hungary in the team competition after the fence.
 
Rosling was the best of the Brits in the pool. Her 200m freestyle time of 2:16.42 was the seventh fastest of the day and saw her climb five places to 15th.
 
Prentice continued to lead the British challenge, although her 2:20.56 saw her drop to sixth, while French’s 2:20.67 saw her drop to ninth. Prise, the youngest member of the GB quartet, went into the ride in 23rd with a swim of 2:21.94. Fakhrutdinova and Hungary’s Sarolta Kovacs shared the lead.
 
Great Britain were now fourth in the team event behind leaders Hungary, and Russia and Ukraine.
 
Prentice dropped just 40 points from the maximum 1200 in the ride to climb to fourthplace going into the run/shoot. She started 26 seconds behind Fakhrutdinova, who continued to hold the lead.
 
French dropped 28 points from the maximum in the riding arena and climbed to sixth, while Rosling dropped just 20 points to climb to 10th and Prise went into the run/shoot in 21st after scoring 1120 points in theride.
 
With Great Britain’s three team scorers all in the top-10, GB were back in the podium positions in the team event, moving to second behind Hungary.
 
Rosling’s run/shoot tie of 11:55.46 was fourth fastest of the day and saw her climb to fifth, while Prentice’s 12:20.34 was ninth quickest.
 
Hungary’s Sarolta Kovas retained the individual title she won last year, adding it to the European Junior title she won in Poland two months ago.
 
Tomorrow (Sunday) Jamie Cooke represents Great Britain in the men’s final.
 
World Junior Championships women’s final results
Individual
Gold: Sarolta Kovacs (HUN) – 5380 pts
Silver: Alise Fakhrutdinova (RUS) – 5332 pts
Bronze: Freyja Prentice (GBR) – 5316 pts
5th: Lydia Rosling (GBR) – 5268 pts
8th: Kate French (GBR)  - 5212 pts
21st: Kerry Prise (GBR) – 4932 pts
 
Team:
Gold: Great Britain (Kate French, Freyja Prentice, Lydia Rosling) – 15796 pts
Silver: Ukraine (Ganna Buriak, Iryna Khokhlov, Anastasiya Spas) – 15664 pts
Bronze: Hungary (Zsofia Foldhazi, Sarolta Kovacs, Adrienn Toth) – 15604 pts
 

World Junior Championships schedule
 
Sunday 20 November: men’s final
Monday 21 November: relays
 
Please note, the time in Buenos Aires is three hours behind GMT.
 

Jamie Cooke will fly the flag for Great Britain in the men’s final at the Modern Pentathlon World Junior Championships in Argentina on Sunday (20 November).
 
The 20-year-old, currently third in the world junior rankings, finished second in semi-final B in Buenos Aires today (Friday).
 
His performances included a trademark strong swim – his 200m freestyle time of 1:57.03 was comfortably the fastest of the day.
 
Philipp Waeffler, GB men’s head coach, said: “Jamie was very solid throughout the day.”
 
Team-mate James Myatt missed out on the top-18 place that would secure a berth in the final, finishing 30th in the same semi.
 
Steven Mason just missed out on qualifying from semi-final A. Joint leader after the fencing, he was in contention going into the run/shoot butslipped down the field to finish 21st.
 
Tomorrow (Saturday) a quartet of GB women – Kate French, Freyja Prentice, Kerry Prise and Lydia Rosling – contest the women’s final.
 
 
World Junior Championships schedule
 
Saturday 19 November: women’s final
Sunday 20 November: men’s final
Monday 21 November: mixed team relay
 
Please note, the time in Buenos Aires is three hours behind GMT.
 

The 2012 National Selection Policy has now been published.  Members may request a hard copy of the policy from HQ by phoning 01225 386808 or by emailing admin@pentathlongb.org

Four British women will compete in final of the Modern Pentathlon World Junior Championships in Argentina on Saturday after qualifying from the semis today (17 November).

The quartet of Kate French, Freyja Prentice, Kerry Prise and Lydia Rosling all qualified safely from their semis in Buenos Aires.

French led the way in semi-final A, leading the 26-strong field home. Rosling was just behind her in third after producing the third fastest run/shoot of the semi with a time of 13:00.00.

Prentice and Prise both comfortably progressed from semi-final B.

Istvan Nemeth, women’s head coach for Pentathlon GB, said: “Everybody is in the final. Argentina has never held a competition like this before and it’s worth saying that everything here has been very good.”

Tomorrow (Friday) sees the men go into action. Steven Mason goes in semi-final A with Jamie Cooke and James Myatt competing in semi-final B.

World Junior Championships schedule

Friday 18 November: men’s semi-finals

Saturday 19 November: women’s final

Sunday 20 November: men’s final

Monday 21 November: mixed team relay

Please note, the time in Buenos Aires is three hours behind GMT.

On 1 April 2006, UK Sport assumed full responsibility for all Olympic performance-related support in England, from the identification of talent right the way through to performing at the top level to help improve performance and drive success in the future. In taking on this new responsibility, and remaining focused on a 'no compromise' approach, UK Sport has redefined the terms under which funding and support will be provided. It operates a World Class Performance Pathway at three key levels:

• World Class Podium Programme
• World Class Development Programme
• World Class Talent Programme

To aid a wider understanding amongst all sports the terminology for each programme will be the same.

This Programme will support athletes with realistic medal capabilities at the next Olympic Games (i.e. a maximum of four years away from the podium). At this level, an assessment of realistic medal projections determines the required investment per sport using the models introduced post-Beijing for Olympic sports. Athlete places are distributed to a sport based on a combination of the sport's:

• Results at the last Games
• Competitive track record
• Projected medal capability in the future
• Demonstrated ability to constantly produce athletes through the pathway.

Support is provided through a performance programme with the governing body and an athlete personal award.

This Programme is designed to support the stage of the pathway immediately beneath the Podium. It will comprise of sports that have demonstrated that they have realistic medal winning capabilities for 2016. Olympic athletes at this level are typically six years away from the podium.

This Programme is designed to support the identification and confirmation of athletes who have the potential to progress through the World Class Pathway with the help of targeted investment. Funding provided through the programme will allow sports to identify the athletes with all the right attributes to ensure they can go on to compete effectively on the world stage. In addition, this programme will look to raise the level of sophistication by which sports approach the identification of new athletes and examine ways in which talent, where appropriate, can be transferred across sports. Olympic athletes will be a maximum of 8 years away from the podium.

The main entry point is through the Annual Talent ID Camps that immediately follow the National Triathlon each year. The Entry and Exit Procedure can be found on the download pages of the website.

Entry can also be by achieving one or more of the Consideration Standards issued by the National Governing Body, Pentathlon GB will identify whether an athlete has met the required standard. The standards must be achieved in National or International Competition.

A wide range: for Podium and Development athletes, financial support towards training costs; access to facilities; access to a full athlete support programme for potential athletes which includes medical services, physiotherapy, strength and conditioning and sports science support. In addition, the athlete's personal coach will receive significant benefits from the programme, such as joining the athlete for biomechanical testing etc.

Other than in exceptional circumstances, providing the athlete continues to meet the consideration criteria and targets they are likely to remain on the programme through to the transition stage to the Senior WCPP. Successive years will be dependent on athletes meeting both the performance and non-performance targets in their individual programme but the principle of demonstrable upward mobility will be applied.

This varies and will depend on which programme the athlete is on.

The main aims of the World Class Pathway Programmes are to:

• identify athletes with the potential to successfully progress through the pathway
• help prepare and develop them for progression to the World Class Performance Programme
• provide appropriate competition opportunities at age group international level
• support them with structures/facilities and personnel to facilitate the process
• create a structured youth pentathlon programme in Great Britain

The Strength and Conditioning Initiative aims to ensure that all athletes and coaches recognise the importance of strength and conditioning, have the knowledge to apply new techniques and that the correct strength and conditioning programmes are devised and applied for each athlete on the World Class Pathway Programmes.

The youth athletes are divided up into Youth A and Youth B age groups.

The Youth A athletes compete each year in a European and a World Championship. The disciplines are fencing swimming and combined event in both competitions.

The Youth B athletes compete in a European Championship each year and their disciplines are swim and combined event.

The international calendar is determined by the international governing body (UIPM). It is usual for them to be spaced out between April and August, although sometimes they are held closer together.

Training camps for the Youth programme athletes are held regularly throughout the year. The year runs from the beginning of April until the end of the following March. During this time there is generally at least one camp (weekend) a month as well as foreign training camps (during some of the school holidays). There is a calendar that is produced at the beginning of each programme year that is regularly updated to reflect any changes.

Riding certificates can be awarded by any qualified riding instructor. Full details of the qualifications of the assessor are on the individual certificate forms which can be found in the resources section of the website.

Any Youth athletes on the Pathway Programme athlete wanting to be awarded a Junior riding certificate or above must be assessed by the Pentathlon GB riding coach in front of one of the Performance Team Coaches. There are currently three times in the year (the dates are published on the calendar) when this can happen.

There are two levels of fencing certificate a Level 1 Certificate and a Level 2 certificate. These can be awarded by an assessor with a coaching qualification in line with the requirements stated on the certificate which can be found in the resources section of the website.

The Level 1 fencing certificate is valid for only two years from the date of assessment.