As the GB squad fly out to Rio de Janeiro for World Cup 2 this week, Freyja Prentice (pictured above) discussed her return from injury and the prospect of competing at the Olympic venues.
“I am very excited about competing this week”, Prentice said. “It is always good to get the first competition underway after such a long winter period. It will be good to see what kind of state I am in and how well I can transfer my efforts in training to a competition.
“I am also very excited to not just see the Olympic venues, but to compete in them as well. We will get a small sense of what it will be like in five months’ time, which is a very exciting thought!”
Prentice last competed in the European Championships held at the GB team’s University of Bath training base last summer, where she placed 13th after four months on the side-lines. The 25-year-old, originally from Inverurie, came second in the first ranking competition of the season before dislocating her shoulder while out on a run in Edinburgh over the Christmas period.
“I am a little bit nervous about competing for the first time after my dislocation as the injury altered my training regime significantly at the start of the year, particularly in the pool. I am really pleased with the progress my shoulder has made and I am just very grateful to be able to be competing at all.
“I think I have to be a little realistic going into the first competition, so initially I hope to make it into the final. The standard has stepped up a gear this year, as well as the number of competitors, so it will be a tough semi-final. I am confident that I am fit and training has been going well so I really hope that I can transfer this into a good competition.”
GB Team for World Cup 2
Women’s Team
Kate French, 25, from Gavesend, Kent
Samantha Murray, 26, from Clitheroe, Lancashire
Freyja Prentice, 25, from Inverurie, Aberdeenshire
Francesca Summers, 20, Dorking, Surrey
Men’s Team
Sam Curry, 22, Salfords, Surrey
Joe Choong, 20, Orpington, Bromley
Jamie Cooke, 25, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Tom Toolis, 23, Hornchurch, Havering
Competition Schedule
- Thursday 10th: Women’s Qualification
- Friday 11th: Women’s Final (Fencing Ranking Round) and Men’s Qualification
- Saturday 12th: Men’s Final (Fencing Ranking Round) and Women’s Final
- Sunday 13th: Men’s Final
Modern Pentathlon (for the uninitiated)
- The modern pentathlon sees athletes compete in five disciplines – fencing, swimming, riding and a combined run and shoot all in one day.
- Britain’s modern pentathletes have been successful at the highest level, winning medals at the last four Olympic Games. Steph Cook and Kate Allenby won gold and bronze respectively at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland won bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Heather Fell won silver at the Beijing 2008 Games and Samantha Murray won silver at London 2012.
- Three modern pentathletes have already reached qualification standard for Rio 2016: Samantha Murray, Kate French and Joe Choong.
Report courtesy of Pentathlon GB
