PENTATHLON GB COACH APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMME

Apprentice Coach Recruitment

Location:  To be discussed with candidate

Salary:  To be discussed with candidate

Pentathlon GB believe that the development of our home grown coaching force is an integral part of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Cycle Plan.  The continuation of British Modern Pentathlon success on the international stage beyond 2016 will require training of a new generation of competent, enthusiastic and inspirational coaches.  Our Coach Apprenticeship Programme (CAP) will be launched in October 2013 so that we can develop and nurture coaching talent over two years to deliver long term success.

The successful candidates must have perseverance, ambition, and initiative.  Experience in coaching and a sporting background is essential.  Competition for the CAP places will be fierce, so candidates will need to demonstrate uncompromised commitment, awareness of related responsibilities and allegiance to Pentathlon GB and our athletes.  Candidates also need to be capable of working as both part of a team and individually as no day will be the same.

Pentathlon GB now invites candidates to apply for the limited number of available places. Further details related to the content and organization of the CAP will be provided on individual basis to the successful applicants.

Applications should be in the form of a CV and covering letter and must be submitted via e-mail to Eleanor Guest at eleanor.guest@pentathlongb.org

Any questions regarding the position should be directed to Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director via e-mail jan.bartu@pentathlongb.org

The closing date for applications is 1700 22 July 2013.

On 17 April 2013 PGB posted a notice about the safe use of laser pistols.

We reinforce and expand this as follows:

LASER SAFETY

1. Treat all laser pistols as if they were pellet.  ALL RULES RELATING TO PISTOLS – LASER OR PELLET – MUST BE STRICTLY OBSERVED AND WILL BE ENFORCED.
2. NEVER WALK IN THE LINE OF FIRE OF ANY PISTOL, LASER OR PELLET. 
3. All pistols, whether used with pellet or converted for use with laser should always be treated as potentially dangerous weapons.
4. 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. 
5. Unauthorised removal of pistols from boxes on or off range should be penalised through the rules.
6. Warning notices (designed to reinforce the regime applicable to pellet pistols) should be placed at the range at access points.
7. Be aware of the risk of reflected laser beams from surfaces such as glass, shiny surfaces and mirrors (for instance if used to check on sighting).
8. We will require all laser devices to carry warning labels to that effect.  We are arranging for a supply of appropriate labels for pistol and their boxes.
9. Laser pistols should not be used in continuous beam mode, even for training sessions. 
10. Laser pistols should be kept in locked gun safes to increase parental control of laser devices outside competition and training. Lasers are not toys and should be treated with cautious respect.  We want to eradicate all risk of injury in the home.

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

Pentathlon GB are looking to recruit a Freelance Coordinator for the South East Region.

We are seeking an enthusiastic individual with strong administrative and inter-personal skills to be a freelance co-ordinator who will nurture our future talent in the South East Region and provide the stepping stone to towards their possible inclusion in our World Class Programme.

We envisage this would be a contract for services and fees will be agreed with the successful contractor based on the delivery of agreed outcomes.

If you would like to discuss this further then please speak to Peter Evans on 07855 957924.

To make an application please send your CV and covering letter to eleanor.guest@pentathlongb.org by the closing date of Friday 05 July 13.

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.

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

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.

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!

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

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

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 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


 

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.

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.

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

Heather Fell, Britain’s Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medallist, produced a battling display to secure a top-10 finish at the opening Modern Pentathlon World Cup of the year.

Fell was joint 27th after the fencing at World Cup 1 in Palm Springs, California, but fought her way through the field to end the day in ninth.

Team-mate Kate French came home in 19th place, with Katy Burke 21st and 18-year-old Jo Muir finishing 30th on her World Cup debut.

The British team return home with a bronze medal, won by 19-year-old Joe Evans in the men’s competition at his first World Cup.

It was Burke that made the brightest start of the Brits in the women’s final – she was joint 10th after the fencing with 19 wins from 35 contests to accumulate 856 points. French was equal 16th with 17 wins for 808 points, while Fell’s 15 victories put her joint 27th with 760 points and Muir’s six wins put her 36th.

Burke was the best of the Brits in the pool – her 200m freestyle time of 2:14.83 added 1184 points to her total, promoting her to seventh. Fell was the next fastest of the Brits with a time of 2:18.23, the 11th fastest swim, for 1144 points. She climbed to 23rd.

Muir’s 2:18.28 was the 12th quickest of the day and earned 1144 points, pushing her up to 33rd, while French dropped to 23rd with 2:21.97, the 20th fastest time of the day, adding 1100 to her total.

Fell continued her upward momentum in the riding arena, dropping only 40 points from the maximum 1200 to climb to 18th overall. Burke continued to feature in the top-10, adding 1120 points to her total to go into the run/shoot in ninth.

French took 1156 pentathlon points from the ride, putting her 19th, while debutant Muir climbed two places to 31st with a ride worth 1120.

Fell produced a strong run/shoot, clocking 12:31.17 – the sixth fastest time of the day – to climb from 18th to ninth place. French made sure of a top-20 finish with a time of 13:05.21, while Burke dropped down to 21st with a run/shoot of 13:33.73.

Muir finished on a high note, with the ninth fastest run/shoot time of 12:48.06 to end her first World Cup in 30th place overall.

Victoria Tereshuk, the 2011 world champion and Beijing 2008 Olympic bronze medallist, pipped Zhang Xiaonan to gold after the Chinese athlete had led the field throughout the day.

World Cup 1 women’s final results:
Gold:  Victoria Tereshuk (UKR) – 5400 points
Silver: Zhang Xiaonan (CHN) – 5388 points
Bronze: Yane Marques (BRA) – 5368 points
9th: Heather Fell (GBR) – 5260 points
19th: Kate French (GBR) – 5124 points
21st: Katy Burke (GBR) – 5108 points
30th: Jo Muir (GBR) – 4936 points

British team for World Cup 1 in Palm Springs, USA
(format: name – date of birth, home town – current home)

Women
Katy Burke – 01.06,89, Cleveleys, near Blackpool - Bath
Heather Fell – 03.03.83, Tavistock, Devon - Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, Meopham, Gravesend - Bath
Jo Muir - 30.08.94, Dumfries - Bath

Men
Jamie Cooke  - 03.03.91, Cheltenham - Bath
Sam Curry – 03.09.93, Redhill - Bath
Joe Evans  - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire - Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, north east London- Bath

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

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

British teenager Joe Evans described his achievement of winning bronze at his first Modern Pentathlon World Cup as ‘absolutely amazing’.

The 19-year-old student took bronze at the opening World Cup of the new Olympic cycle at Palm Springs in California.

Evans, who is originally from Shropshire and now studying Sports Performance at the University of Bath, said: “The result is absolutely amazing, I'm not sure how it happened, but I'm so pleased.”

Evans, a product of Pentathlon GB’s World Class Performance Pathway, crossed the finishing line just eight seconds behind world champion Alexander Lesun of Russia and two seconds off Adam Marosi, Hungary’s Olympic bronze medallist. He finished 10 seconds ahead of Russia’s world number two, Ilia Frolov, who had to settle for fourth place.

“I knew I was in third on the last lap of combined event and I just kept running, I didn't even look behind to see where Frolov was," he said. "I had an excellent shoot as well, I only missed four shots.”

Evans had laid the foundation for his success at his first World Cup earlier in the day.

“I had a good result in the fencing and it was good to turn around the result I'd had in the semi, I was pleased with the swim but there's more to come yet,” he said. “The ride and the combined event just seemed to happen and I'm so pleased with the overall result.

“Now I’m going to do more hard training in Bath and I'll wait and see if I get selected for World Cup 2 in Rio.”

Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB’s Performance Director, paid tribute to Evans’ performance on a day that saw team-mates Jamie Cooke and Sam Curry, also competing at his maiden World Cup, come home 18th and 23rd respectively.

“It's Joe's first World Cup appearance, his first progress to the final stage and now first medal - rock and roll for the World Class Performance Pathway,” said Bartu.


”The whole team performed above expectations and to see three of them progress to the final more than exceeded what I expected of them.  To see them actually up their game in the final, which is much more difficult, is really encouraging for the future.  Hopefully this isn't the last success these boys have.”

For a full report on the men's final click here.
 

Nineteen-year-old Joe Evans produced a stunning performance to win bronze at his first Modern Pentathlon World Cup.

Evans, a Sports Performance student at the University of Bath and a product of Pentathlon GB’s World Class Talent Pathway, performed consistently throughout the day at the opening World Cup of the new Olympic cycle.

He crossed the finishing line at Palm Springs in California just eight seconds behind world champion Alexander Lesun of Russia and two seconds off Adam Marosi, Hungary’s Olympic bronze medallist.

British team-mates Jamie Cooke came home 18th with 19-year-old Sam Curry 23rd on his World Cup debut.

Evans started the day well, winning 20 of his 35 fencing bouts for joint eighth place with 880 pentathlon points. Curry won 19 contests for joint 12th with 856 points, while Cooke, Britain’s 2011 world junior champion, scored 13 wins for 712 points, putting him 32nd.

Cooke produced a typically strong 200m freestyle swim to climb up the leaderboard, His 2:01.00 was the third fastest time of the day and worth 1348 points, pushing him up to equal 27th.

His time was only slightly faster than Evans, whose 2:01.69 was fifth fastest, adding 1340 pentathlon points to his total. That saw him climb up to joint sixth place on the leaderboard.

Curry’s 2:07.47 was the 18th fastest time of the day worth 1272 points, putting him 15th going into the ride.

Evans kept up his challenge in the riding arena. On a day when only one rider, Ireland’s Eanna Bailey, went clear in the allowed time, Evans dropped just 40 points from the maximum 1200 to add 1160 to his total. That was enough to ensure he went into the combined run/shoot in second place, five seconds behind leader Amro El Geziry of Egypt.

Curry dropped 46 from the maximum to put him sixth overall with Cooke adding 1096 to his total to go into the run/shoot in 25th.

And Evans rounded off a fantastic day with a run/shoot time of 11:35.64 to claim the bronze medal at his first World Cup. His time was 22nd fastest of the day, earning 2420 points, but it was enough to ensure he finished 10 seconds clear of Russia’s world number two Ilia Frolov, who came home fourth.

Cooke climbed up the field to 18th courtesy of a combined event time of 11:23.42 worth 2468. Curry’s 12:16.05, worth 2256 points, was 33rd and saw him finish 23rd.

The GB team train at the Pentathlon GB High Performance Centre at the University of Bath.

Later today four GB women will contest the women’s final – Katy Burke Heather Fell, Kate French and Jo Muir all qualified from Thursday’s heats.

Because of the eight-hour time difference between the UK and California, a round-up of the women’s final will be sent out tomorrow (Saturday) morning.

World Cup 1 men’s final results
Gold: Aleksander Lesun  (RUS) – 5832 points
Silver: Adam Marosi (HUN) – 5808 points
Bronze: Joe Evans (GBR) – 5800 points
18th: Jamie Cooke (GBR) – 5624 points
23rd: Sam Curry (GBR) – 5540 points

British team for World Cup 1 in Palm Springs, USA
(format: name – date of birth, home town – current home)

Women
Katy Burke – 01.06,89, Cleveleys, near Blackpool - Bath
Heather Fell – 03.03.83, Tavistock, Devon - Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, Meopham, Gravesend - Bath
Jo Muir - 30.08.94, Dumfries - Bath

Men
Jamie Cooke  - 03.03.91, Cheltenham - Bath
Sam Curry – 03.09.93, Redhill - Bath
Joe Evans  - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire - Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, north east London- Bath

World Cup 1 schedule
Saturday 23 February: women’s final

Please note, Palm Springs is eight hours behind GMT.

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

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

Seven GB athletes have progressed to the finals of the first Modern Pentathlon World Cup of the new Olympic cycle.

To catch up with more of the action, see our photo galleries on the Pentathlon GB Facebook site

Abd don't forget to 'like' the page while you're there.

All four British women competing at the opening Modern Pentathlon World Cup of the year in the USA have progressed safely to tomorrow’s (Saturday) final.

Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medallist Heather Fell and team-mate Katy Burke both qualified comfortably from semi-final B at the competition at Palm Springs in California.

They will be joined in the final by Kate French and 18-year-old Jo Muir, who is contesting her first World Cup. Both qualified from semi A.

Great Britain joins China and Russia as the only nations with four women in Saturday’s final.

Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB’s Performance Director said: “It was an exciting day with two very different stories. Heather and Katy sailed through the competition with a good swim, strong fence and combined event, they were never at risk of missing the final.

“The other two girls struggled from the outset in the fencing discipline but fought back in the swim and combined event.

“It’s fantastic news that they all made the finals and it’s especially encouraging for the younger athletes.  I’m really pleased they have another opportunity to compete at a world class level and gain such valuable experience.”

The new qualification system meant a top-12 finish in each of the semis secured an automatic path to the final, with the next top-12 points scorers from the two semis also progressing.

Burke came home sixth in semi-final B, ending the day on 3940 points, with Fell crossing the finish line after the combined run/shoot two places and two seconds behind her.

Group B started in the pool, where Burke’s 200m freestyle time of 2:15.03 meant she started the day in fourth.  Fell’s 2:19.22 put her eighth. Fell was fourth in the fence, winning 17 of her 25 bouts, while Burke scored 15 wins.

The GB pair both ensured they did enough in the run/shoot to secure an automatic final berth, with Burke clocking 13:56.30 and Fell 14:02.02.

The less experienced pair of French and World Cup debutant Muir, a University of Bath Sports Performance student,  went in semi-final A.

They both won eight of their 25 fencing bouts to start the day in joint 21st. Muir’s swim of 2:19.57 was the eighth quickest of the semi-final, while French’s 2:21.61 was 10th.

French produced a strong run/shoot, with 13:12.47 – the third fastest time – to climb from 19th to 15th and progress to the final.  Muir’s 13:33.05 was 10th fastest and saw her end her first day of World Cup action in 15th, also enough to book a place in the final.

Later today the trio of GB men – Jamie Cooke, Sam Curry and Joe Evans contest the men’s final in Palm Springs. Curry and Evans are both competing at their first World Cups.

The GB team train at the Pentathlon GB High Performance Centre at the University of Bath.

Because of the eight-hour time difference between the UK and California, a round-up of the men’s final will be posted tomorrow (Saturday) morning.

British team for World Cup 1 in Palm Springs, USA
(format: name – date of birth, home town – current home)

Women
Katy Burke – 01.06,89, Cleveleys, near Blackpool - Bath
Heather Fell – 03.03.83, Tavistock, Devon - Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, Meopham, Gravesend - Bath
Jo Muir - 30.08.94, Dumfries - Bath

Men
Jamie Cooke  - 03.03.91, Cheltenham - Bath
Sam Curry – 03.09.93, Redhill - Bath
Joe Evans  - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire - Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, north east London- Bath

World Cup 1 schedule
Wednesday 20 February: men’s heats
Thursday 21 February: women’s heats
Friday 22 February: men’s final
Saturday 23 February: women’s final
Sunday 24 February: mixed relay

Please note, Palm Springs is eight hours behind GMT.

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
 

Three British men will contest the final of the opening Modern Pentathlon World Cup of the year in the USA tomorrow (Friday) after Jamie Cooke, Sam Curry and Joe Evans all progressed from the qualifiers.
 
But there was disappointment for Tom Toolis, who was just edged out of a final berth at his first World Cup.
 
The format for qualifying for the finals has changed this year, with the top-eight from each of the three heats progressing, along with the next 12 highest points scorers – in the past the top-12 in each heat have gone through automatically.
 
Curry and Evans, both aged 19 and competing at their first World Cups at the competition in Palm Springs, California, came eighth and 10th respectively in qualifier A to go through to the final.
 
Cooke, Britain’s 2011 world junior champion, qualified in seventh from heat B, but although he came 12th in the same heat, the points total achieved by 20-year-old Toolis saw him just edged out of the final.
 
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: “It's been an encouraging start to the first World Cup for the whole team in the beginning of the new Olympic cycle.
 
“I've been particularly impressed by the performances of Sam Curry and Joe Evans in the fencing. They took no notice about world champions or accomplished athletes. They were very good and it was refreshing to see. 


 
“Jamie Cooke fought back after the fencing. It wasn’t a particularly good semi for him, but hopefully he will take the opportunity in the final to rectify what went wrong in the semi.


 
“Tom Toolis narrowly missed qualification into the final by one position. There's room for improvement in his performance,” added Bartu
. ”Overall, a very positive day and I hope the girls follow suit in their heats.”
 
In qualifier A, Curry was joint second after the fencing with 17 wins from 24 bouts with Evans 11th on 12 wins. Curry’s 2:08.99 was the ninth best in the group in the pool, while Evans went quickest with 2:01.77.
 
Curry made sure of a place in the final with a combined run/shoot time of 12.14.25, while Evans’ 11:59.32 was eighth fastest and was enough for him to progress.
 
Group B started in the pool, where Cooke again set the pace with a time of 1:59.12. Toolis clocked 2:05.39, the fifth fastest time in the group. Cooke won nine of his 24 fencing bouts, with Toolis securing 13 wins.
 
Cooke’s combined event time of 11:46.03 was third fastest in the heat and saw him climb from 15th overall to seventh to progress to the final. Toolis’ 12:24.76 was him finish 12th overall – a finish that would have seen him progress in the old qualifying system.
 
Later today the GB women’s quartet of Katy Burke, Heather Fell, Kate French and Jo Muir go into action at their heats.
 
Eighteen-year-old Jo Muir said she’s looking forward to contesting her first World Cup. 

 
“I'm so excited to be competing, I just want to get it done,” she said. “I don't know what to expect. I've only done one senior competition before and I ended up with zero points on the ride. I'd be so happy to make the final but I don't know if that's too much to expect.”
 
Kate French said: “I've been training well. It's the first competition of the season and it's a big step up from junior competitions.  I just hope to get into the final and then I'll go from there.”
 
The British team train at the Pentathlon GB High Performance Centre at the University of Bath.

Because of the eight-hour time difference between the UK and California, a round-up of the women’s qualifiers will be sent out tomorrow (Friday) morning.
 
British team for World Cup 1 in Palm Springs, USA
(format: name – date of birth, home town – current home)
 
Women
Katy Burke – 01.06,89, Cleveleys, near Blackpool - Bath
Heather Fell – 03.03.83, Tavistock, Devon - Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, Meopham, Gravesend - Bath
Jo Muir - 30.08.94, Dumfries - Bath
 
Men
Jamie Cooke  - 03.03.91, Cheltenham - Bath
Sam Curry – 03.09.93, Redhill - Bath
Joe Evans  - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire - Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, north east London- Bath
 
World Cup 1 schedule
Wednesday 20 February: men’s heats
Thursday 21 February: women’s heats
Friday 22 February: men’s final
Saturday 23 February: women’s final
Sunday 24 February: mixed relay
 
Please note, Palm Springs is eight hours behind GMT.
 
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
 
For further information members of the media can contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518.
 
 

Four young GB modern pentathletes will make their World Cup debuts  when they compete in Palm Springs, the USA, at the opening World Cup of 2013 later this week.

The quartet, pictured here are (left to right) Jo Muir, Sam Curry, Joe Evans and Tom Toolis. They are joined in the GB team in California by Jamie Cooke, Katy Burke, Heather Fell and Kate French.

The men get their campaign underway in the heats on Wednesday (20 February) with the women's heats on Thursday (21 February). Please note, due to the time difference between the UK and California, results will be published on the Pentathlon GB website the morning after each competition.

Assurance for the future

The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today agreed on the 25 sports it will propose to the 125th IOC Session for approval as the core sports for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

The 25 sports include modern pentathlon.

(The EB recommended that wrestling, governed by the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA), not be included on the list of core sports. Wrestling will now join the seven shortlisted sports – baseball/softball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu – vying for inclusion in the 2020 Olympic programme as an additional sport.)

Though the matter has to be approved by the IOC session from 7 to 10 September in Buenos Aires, Argentina this is great news for our sport, for us at Pentathlon GB and for our future.

Great news!

Tony Temple – for the Board 

Four young pentathletes, including three teenagers, are due to make their World Cup debuts for Great Britain at the opening competition of the year in California later this month.
 
Eighteen-year-old Jo Muir is joined in the eight-strong team by 19-year-olds Sam Curry and Joe Evans, and by Tom Toolis, aged 20.
 
The quartet will represent Great Britain at the first modern pentathlon World Cup of the new Olympic cycle at Palm Springs in California, which runs from 20 to 24 February.
 
They will join Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medallist Heather Fell, 2011 World Junior champion Jamie Cooke, Kate French, who competes at her third World Cup, and Katy Burke, who has two fourth place World Cup finishes to her name.
 
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said the first World Cup of the year will give the young athletes, who are all products of Pentathlon GB’s World Class Talent Pathway, an early opportunity to show their mettle on a world stage.
 
“It’s the first World Cup of the year and it’s the right time in the Olympic cycle for these young athletes to go on the international circuit,” he said.
 
“It’s is in line with our Rio plan, where we wanted to bring new talent on to the world class stage early in the Olympic cycle and see what they can do,” he added. “It doesn’t mean that we’re not going to consider the more established athletes.”
 
All four of the World Cup debutants train at the Pentathlon GB High Performance Centre at the University of Bath. They combine their training with studying at the University.
 
Jo Muir, originally from Dumfries, in Scotland, said she couldn’t believe it when she heard she was going to compete at her first World Cup. “I’m really excited, I thought I’d heard it wrong when I was told,” said the Sports Performance student.
 
“I didn’t ever think I’d get to a World Cup this year. My aim was to get the Junior Europeans and the Junior Worlds.  It will be a really good experience for me,” she said. “The training in Bath has helped me so much.”
 
Joe Evans, a fellow Sports Performance student, said: “I was very pleased when I hard I’d been selected. This will be my first World Cup and my first senior international.
 
“I’m a second year junior, so there’s no pressure,” he added. “We’re going there for the experience. If I can make the final it would be fantastic, a massive achievement.
 
“Training in Bath has definitely helped me,” he added. “Training with the rest of the group has been fantastic.”
 
Curry, a first year student studying Politics with International Relations, said he is aiming to hit his pbs on his World Cup debut. He said: “It’s going to be an incredibly tough competition, but I’m really looking forward to it, it’s going to be an amazing experience.”
 
Toolis, who is studying Sport and Exercise Science degree, said: “It's my first senior World Cup, so I'm very excited about going to Palm Springs, making a name for myself and seeing where I am in comparison to the rest world.
 
“I aim to reach the finals and I know if my competition goes well then I have the ability to achieve this.”
 
British team for World Cup 1 in Palm Springs, USA
(format: name – date of birth, home town – current home)
 
Women
Katy Burke – 01.06,89, Cleveleys, near Blackpool - Bath
Heather Fell – 03.03.83, Tavistock, Devon - Bath
Kate French – 11.02.91, Meacham, Gravesend - Bath
Jo Muir - 30.08.94, Dumfries - Bath
 
Men
Jamie Cooke  - 03.03.91, Cheltenham - Bath
Sam Curry – 03.09.93, Redhill - Bath
Joe Evans  - 05.09.93,  Whitchurch, Shropshire - Bath
Tom Toolis – 23.12.92, Hornchurch, north east London- Bath
 
World Cup 1 schedule
Wednesday 20 February: men’s heats
Thursday 21 February: women’s heats
Friday 22 February: men’s final
Saturday 23 February: women’s final
Sunday 24 February: 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 is pleased to announce that Barbara Woodward has been appointed to the Board of Directors with immediate effect.

Mrs Woodward is currently the Director General of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), she is a member of the FCO Board and is listed as one of the top 200 civil servants in Whitehall.  Prior to this Barbara has gained a huge amount of experience in a variety of challenging roles and a number of countries.  She brings both this knowledge and a love of sport to the Board, having been involved with Team GB during the Beijing Olympics, and competed in both swimming and running events.

We welcome Barbara and wish her every success as a member of the Board.  We are extremely pleased to have such an experienced member contributing to the progression of Pentathlon GB.

Great Britain is in a strong position to continue its impressive Olympic track record in Modern Pentathlon following funding award announcements by UK Sport and Sport England.

UK Sport announced Pentathlon GB will receive £6.9 million over 2013-17, an increase on the figure for the London 2012 cycle.

The funding will support Pentathlon GB’s performance programme in the run-up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. This programme has already generated five medals in the last four Olympic Games, supporting the World Class Programme that is one of the most successful in the country.
 
Pentathlon GB will also receive £900,000 in Whole Sport funding from Sport England over the same period, which will be used to enhance the pathway for talented athletes and increase opportunities to take part in and stay involved with Modern Pentathlon.
 
Jon Austin, Chief Executive of Pentathlon GB, said:
 
"We are pleased with both awards. They demonstrate the confidence that UK Sport and Sport England have in what we are doing and commit to do in the future.  We have delivered medals at each of the last four Olympic Games and a string of impressive results at major championships since the Beijing Olympics.
 
"The awards are broadly in line with our funding through the last Olympic cycle and put us in a sound position for the next four years. They create stability to build on our past successes through to and beyond Rio and to attract more people of all abilities to become involved in and be part of our sport -  which is what we will do."
 
 
Additional notes
 
Samantha Murray’s silver medal the London 2012 Olympics was the fifth medal won by a British woman pentathlete since the sport for women made its Olympic debut at Sydney 2000. Steph Cook won gold and Kate Allenby bronze at Sydney. Georgina Harland took bronze at the Athens Games in 2004. Heather Fell won silver in Beijing four years ago.
 
The men’s results at London 2012 were also Britain’s best Olympic performances for two decades with Nick Woodbridge finishing 10th and Sam Weale 13th, following Graham Brookhouse’s eighth in Barcelona in 1992.
 
Mhairi Spence won gold at the 2012 World Championships, with Samantha Murray taking bronze. Heather Fell won silver at the World Cup Final.
 
The Sport England funding will enable Pentathlon GB to enhance its English talent programme and expand competition and participation opportunities, including through a range of multisport competitions (biathlon, modern triathlon, tetrathlon, and biathle).
 
For further information members of the media can contact the Pentathlon GB press office at Matchtight Ltd on 01225 383518 or by email at steve@matchtight.co.uk

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.