Pentathlon News
2010 WRCH Cheng Du 02 09 posted by J Bartu on02-09-2010
Ocassion like the World Championships brings people to live together in very small bubble。Naturally gossip and rumours start soon playing their role in the daily life of the working class，translate to coaches and managers。The most recent one is that the President of the Union almost suffered a seizure upon to his arrival to the Pierre de Coubertin Sports Complex。Yesterday technical delegates and LOC removed the running course from the flooded fields and set it up in the car park。Although it was logic and only possible solution unfortunatelly people seated in the grandstands could not see any of exciting running action during the men's semi-finals。No wonder the President，finding idea of the Pentathlon Stadium tarnished，has become a bit disturbed。As a aresult Secretary General of Chinese Pentathlon and LOC have their backsides on fire to ensure the running course is ready for the Finals。Thunderstorm and heavy tropical rain is in full swing behind my windows as I write this blog。I keep my fingers crossed ready it will。
We have seen Heather sail with ease to the Finals with Samantha in tow。They performed confidently without digging too deep in to reserves。Freyja，in other semi-final group，had to fight hard to overcome shaky shooting in the first leg of the CE。Katy's fencing result was not enough in this competition to qualify for the finals。The good news is that not only individual athletes but also the team will be fighting for the medals on Saturday。It will be a very different competition so let's draw the line and refocus.
Girls can enjoy well deserved free day tomorrow。I am looking forward to watch the Men's Final and hopefully learn new tricks。
British trio through to World Champs final posted by Steve Ballinger on02-09-2010
Great Britain will have three women in Saturday’s Modern Pentathlon World Championships final in China after Heather Fell, Samantha Murray and Freyja Prentice all qualified from today’s (Thursday) semis.
Fell and Murray qualified from semi-final A today, with Prentice progressing from semi-final B. But Katy Burke missed out on a place in the final in Chengdu.
Fell, Murray and Prentice are Britain’s three nominated athletes to score for the team competition, so the fact all three have gone through to the final will aid Britain’s team prospects.
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: “We were hoping to have all four in the final, but unfortunately Katy didn’t have a good fence and it was very difficult for her to come back from that.
“The other three competed really well today. Freyja had to put up a fight in the combined event but she came through,” he added. We’re in good shape for the final and for the team competition, although we know it will be a tough day.”
Fell and Murray both went safely through from semi-final A. Fell made a strong start coming second in the fencing with 18 wins from 27 contests and went on to finish third overall in the semi. Samantha Murray finished 11th, with the third best fence and fourth best swim in the semi. Prentice qualified in 14th from semi-final B, but Burke just missed out on the top-18 spot that would give her a place in the final, coming 23rd.
2010 WRCH Cheng Du 01 09 posted by J Bartu on01-09-2010
Decades of experience in competitive sports makes no difference how I feel about loosing。I can see realistically what has caused underperfomance；sudden absence of self-control，compromised preparation or simply human failure。Emotions always become almost unbearable and so the need to deal with them sensibly。Today I have been tested，no doubt。
Nick was not prepared to commit in the fencing perhaps because of the compromised preparation throughout the year？Neither he could repeat the Medway World Cup performance in the Combine Event。Too many missed shots set him on the path close to the airport instead of to the Finals。Samuel swam his best time of the year，fenced good standard but opposition was too strong in the Combine Event featuring athletes from China，Korea，Japan，Hungary，Czech Republic，Germany and Russia。Jamie had magnificent day winning the swimming，scoring 2 vistories bellow thousand points in fencing and leading the group in to the Combine Event。Excitement faded away after the third shooting leg leaving his chances for the surprising and deserved World Championship Finals in shatters。Now it's time to analyse，agree the plan for the next season，resume tight and demanding training schedule from October and hope for the best。In Cheng Du however we have still Team Relay coming up hoping for signs of resurrection and confirmation of the progress achieved up to date。
Army of Chinese volunteers in yellow shirts seem to be tireless。No matter how miniscule assignment they pursue，perfection to deliver it is impressive。Johnny is a Chinese student who happen to be my right hand。I have given him this name after famous rock star Johnny Haliday with whom he shares cupid，upwards erected hair and emotion less expression。Imagine you are jetlagged，desperately trying to enjoy last 10-15min of sleep when you hear knocking on your door。You get to the door after cutting the sharp corner of the bed with your shin just to look at the expressionless Johnny's face saying in broken English；Sir the bus leaves at 8am。Later I took Johnny aside for a little talk leaving no doubts about the destiny of his private parts knocks he on my door again early in the morning。
Tonight our girls looked rested and ready to compete。We are looking forward to exciting ladies semi-finals day tomorrow。
Note that you can also stay informed about the updates from the 2010 World Championships on Twitter following；janbartu
British men miss out on World Champs final posted by Steve Ballinger on01-09-2010
Britain's three male pentathletes missed out on places in the Modern Pentathlon World Championships final in Chengdu, China.
Sam Weale came agonisingly close to the top-12 position in semi-final C that would earn him a place in the men"s final on Friday, finishing 13th.
Nineteen-year-old Jamie Cooke produced comfortably the fastest swim of the day, clocking 1:57.18 for the 200m freestyle, and was leading semi-final B going into the combined run/shoot. But he struggled in the shooting phase and was unable to hold on to a qualification spot, dropping down to 14th.
Nick Woodbridge struggled to recover from a disappointing fence in semi-final A, where he won 10 and lost 17 of his contests. Despite the fastest swim in the semi, he ended the day 22nd.
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB performance director said: "We were excited about Jamie today, but in the end he paid the price for being very young and inexperienced. We hope they can have another go in the team relay in a few days’ time. We’re now looking forward to seeing how the girls go tomorrow.”
The women’s team of Katy Burke, Heather Fell, Samantha Murray and Freyja Prentice contest the women’s semis for Britain tomorrow (Thursday) with places in Saturday’s final at stake.
2010 WRCH Cheng Du 30 08 posted by J Bartu on31-08-2010
Our tour guy from the other day，young lady in her twenties，talked with Istvan about the culture differences and they ended up guessing each other's age。Consequently I have been tipped 31 years old ！！！！！！！No kidding I have almost fallen of the bus。I suspect it must have been a courtesy only. Nevertheless I am thinking，maybe moving to this country could be my last opportunity to rescitute younger version of myself？
That prompted me to look at the age profile of the team。Average age of the 2010 World Championship team turn out to be 22.2 years with variation from 19 to 28。Boys average 23.6 and the girls 22.2 years of age。We have 4 junior and 3 senior athletes in the mix。I guess that the GB team will be arguably on of the youngest on the starting grid just in two days。Does that mean we are less competitive or lacking experience？I would argue not to the first however yes to the second hypotetical question。Younger athletes have been competiting internationally for years in their respective age groups and proved that they are capable of challenging the top perfomers in the sport。Of course years of experience are irreplaceable however there are other virtues even more fundamental to success at this level。If they manage sustain healthy self-confidence and be happy with themselves under the pressure，chances are looking good。Understanding reality of senior level competition should not implicate diminished agressivity or feeling too much respect when against the top guns in the sport。Al contrary，being in the position of a crash-test dummie has significant advantages primarily offsetting unnecessary expectations and performance anxiety。Remember we have also Heather，Sam and Nick highly experienced athletes，medal winners in the past who will hopefuly demonstrate their maturity and competitivness。
For our men today was the closing training day of the 2010 Season。Tomorrow is a rest day before the semi-finals on the 1st of September。Ladies are going to return to the competition venue for remaining easy practise for the last time。Cheng Du is covered by low grey clouds and everything seems to be a bit distored by accumulated fumes。Air contamination sits in the city undisturbed because of total absence of air flow。If this standstill continues we may see soon developing breathing problems affecting athletes' performances。I feel we are just reaching the point of readiness to compete 。。one day is all what is left from a moment of the truth 。。
2010 WRCH Cheng Du 28 08 posted by J Bartu on28-08-2010
Panda Centre in Cheng Du provides complete management of the panda bear breeding programme。Newly born vulnerable animal around 6 inches long is treated with care similar to new born child。Incubators，24/7 monitoring，special feeding and airconditioned rooms are standard。Although it is significant achievement of efforts to prevent the animal extintion I am not sure how would be this information digested by wider population on the outskirts of the country struggling to access proper medical care and basic services。Panda itself seem to be playful but also lazy looking for every opportunity to snooze in the shade。Panda's natural habitat has been almost wiped out due to deforestation so Cheng Du Panda Base is one of the last resorts for its survival。We were having a good times walking from one sanctuary to another watching the bears getting on with life in comfort of captivity。Only setback was that local mosquitos and other insects，thriving in hot and humid climate，found British girls very attractive leaving nasty red marks anywhere they could bite。
Next stop on the tour was the famous Jinlin Road，typical touristic trap，in the heart of Cheng Du offering experience of the ancient Sichuan urbanistic style。Shops，restaurants and Starbucks where the coaching team joined so much needed coffee break，were appreciated。We have been also given Chinese good luck sign similar to one I have received in Beijing before the 2008 Olympic Games。We shall see in a couple of days if the magic works once again。
We are going back to the competition venue tomorrow 01:30 UK time for training. It could be critical day for the athletes to overcome jetlag and start looking forward to the upcoming challenges. More to come soon ..
2010 WRCH Cheng Du 27 08 posted by J Bartu on27-08-2010
My VIP room at the Tanghu Hotel in Shuangliu-Cheng Du comes with a desktop PC connected to the internet。It could be a nice surprise if I would have studied Chinese Mandarin in my younger years。Unfortunately，in that time，I was too busy doing more important things like listening to Led Zepellin or working my backside off on the hills of Prague。Windows XP package in local alphabet looks impressive but represents a challenge to recall the original menu commands for setting up up the machine to work in my adopted language。If you are reading this blog I have succeded。
Shuangliu belongs to the southern district of Cheng Du in the Sichuan province （forvige misspelling）。It is a one of the parts of China which is developing extremely fast。You get the sense of intesive efforts in properties，industry and trade where ever you look。People we are meeting in town however come across much more laid back compare to Beijing or Shanghai。Locals are not used to see anglo-saxons or slovanians very often if ever。 We have been chased in the supermarket today by the girls seeking a glimps of strangers speaking distant acent and wearing shorts。I have also learned that a good quality Sake，classic Chinese rice based liquor is cheaper than fizzy drinks and that Chinese red wine is not bad at all。Food is another matter。I can feel understandable aprehensions within the team to taste unknown or experiment with tastes。Samantha seemed to be stressed even walking in to the dinning room certainly thinking about eating exotic animals fried beyong recognition。I can only say we appreciate the hotel personnel is trying hard to cater for us。
Impressive Aquatic Centre hosting both swimming and fencing，Riding Arena and Combine Event facility offering several thousand seats plus Media Center have been constructed in the south end of Shuangliu for the 2010 World Championship approximately an hour drive from the hotel。Even in Chinese measures this is magnificent effort。Rumours tell that 80 million Euros （equivalent of 66。7 million Pounds）have been privately invested。I have an impression that Chinese Beijing Pentathlon base could be challenged to reconsider their future。Equally I could see the potential to develop Shuangliu Complex to the Asian International Training Centre creating valuable training opportunity for all Asian athletes。
Fighting jetlag is one of the remaining assignments we have before the competition。 I sense we are doing rather well up to date。 Tomorrow we are going to see Panda bears and local lakes not just to stay awake but expand our horizons in the process。Speak to you son 。。。
Young British trio to make senior World Champs debuts posted by Steve Ballinger on24-08-2010
Three young British modern pentathletes will make their senior World Championship debuts in China next week.
Twenty one-year-old Katy Burke, Samantha Murray, aged 20, and 19-year-old Jamie Cooke are members of a seven-strong British team competing at the championships in Chengdu.
They are joined by another young Brit, 20-year-old Freyja Prentice, who made her world championship debut in London last year.
The GB team also features a trio of athletes who represented Great Britain at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games - Heather Fell, Sam Weale and Nick Woodbridge.
Just over two weeks ago Burke, Murray and Prentice joined forces to win team gold for Great Britain at the World Junior Championships in Hungary, while Prentice won individual silver and team relay gold with Burke and another exciting young British pentathlete, Kate French.
Cooke just missed out on the medals at the World Junior Championships, finishing fifth in the men's individual competition.
China has been a happy hunting ground for the fourth member of the British women"s team, Heather Fell, who won silver at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Weale returns to action following his silver medal at the European Championships in Hungary last month– the first individual medal won by a male British pentathlete at a European championships.
Woodbridge, meanwhile, was the highest placed male Briton at the 2009 World Championships at Crystal Palace, finishing 13th.
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: "We have a mix of experienced Olympic Games athletes and some new kids that will be on the start line for the first time at this level. All of them have earned their places.
“There will be two generations of athletes in one team and I think that’s very positive for us,” he added. “It will be a really tough competition. We’re looking for a top-eight finish in both genders.”
The championships get underway with on Wednesday 1 September with the men’s qualification competition, with the women’s qualification taking place on Thursday 2 September.
The men’s final is on Friday 3 September with the women’s final on Saturday 4 September. A mixed relay follows on Sunday 5 September with a men’s relay on Monday 6 September and a women’s relay on Tuesday 7 September.
Anti Doping - Change to urine testing process posted by Peter Hart on23-08-2010
There has been a slight change to the testing procedure for urine.
The changes affect the sample division element of the test and take effect immediately.
- Both A and B sample bottles should now be opened at the same time before the sample is divided.
- The sample will be first added to bottle B and filled up to the laser line on the blue label.
- The remainder of the sample should then be poured into the A bottle, but no further than the ridge above the red label.
- If there is any urine remaining, it should be poured into the B bottle, but no further than the ridge above the blue label.
- Any urine left after this, will be discarded at the end of the test by the athlete in full view of the DCO.
The changes provide greater flexibility when filling the sample bottles up to the requisite level and will ensure the maximum volume of urine provided by the athlete is used.
if an athlete notices the process is not being followed they should record it on the Sample Collection Form
Should you have any questions about this change, or other anti doping matters please don't hesitate to contact me.
Peter Hart
Chief Executive
23rd August 2010
Youth Olympic Games posted by WCDP Manager on23-08-2010
The following is a link to a short BBC iplayer report on the Mens Modern Pentathlon at the Youth Olympic Games. It starts at about 42min into the footage.
Of interest is the Laser Pistols in the Combined Event
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00tp6kd/Youth_Olympic_Games_Highlights_Day_8_Part_1/
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