The GB team delivered great performances all around, gaining valuable training and competition experience in the first international pentathlon hit out of 2025; which included a fantastic individual gold medal winning performance by Emma Whitaker amongst a host of impressive showings by the traveling squad.
British athletes shined at the Hungarian Indoor Open, with Emma Whitaker bettering her silver medal performance in the 2024 Budapest indoors, delivering a strong victory in the women’s final in 2025. Backed up by teammates Olivia Green (5th), Chloe Johnson (6th), and Eva Marsh (9th) the traveling team put up fierce performances in the Hungarian capital. Highlighting the strength in depth in the GB women’s set-up, Gina Speakman (16th) and Poppy Clark (17th) showed their determination in a highly competitive women’s final.
On the men’s side, James Hulme led the British charge, securing a strong 12th place finish, showcasing his grit against a tough international lineup.
Head of Performance Jamie Cooke highlighted the competition as a successful trip allowing the athletes to compete after a long winter training block; “It was a great experience, and for some, the first time internationally on the new discipline. There were a lot of individual goals hit by our athletes, capped with a strong performance by Emma Whitaker taking home Gold, one year on from Silver, which is promising as we head into the World Cup season.”
Following on from Cooke’s first international competition in post as Head of Performance, he acknowledged the support and camaraderie of the team as they kicked off their 2025 season; “A special thank you to the athletes, coaches and support team that really made my first competition as Head of Performance so memorable, and I am looking forward to the upcoming World Cups.”
We now look ahead to the rest of the season, as the team travel back to Budapest for the next World Cup at the end of April, aiming to build on this strong outing as we leap into the 2025 competition season.
