Cheltenham’s Jamie Cooke, Salfords’ Sam Curry, Clitheroe’s Samantha Murray, and Dorking’s Francesca Summers will all return to the Pentathlon GB squad for next week’s World Cup event in Hungary.
The quartet all featured in the opening World Cup event in Los Angeles before missing the second event in Cairo due to competition management with a long season ahead.
Gravesend’s Kate French who has claimed silver and gold in the opening two World Cup events and Dumfries’ Joanna Muir will complete the Pentathlon GB line-up for the individual events in Hungary.
After claiming a brilliant silver together in Cairo, Muir will once again team up with Myles Pillage in the Mixed Relay on the final day of the competition.
A World Cup in Hungary is always one of the toughest on the calendar with the fantastic strength in depth of the host nation’s athletes. However, the Pentathlon GB squad will travel in high spirits having claimed 3 medals in the opening two World Cups of 2017 and recording four individual top 10s in the Hungarian leg of the World Cup series last year, including a stunning gold for Jamie Cooke.
After finishing 6th on her Olympic debut last year, former North Kent MPC athlete French has gone from strength-to-strength this season. The 26 year-old claimed a career-best World Cup finish in Los Angeles before going one better in Cairo to secure her maiden World Cup victory. Dorothy House Ambassador Muir will also go into the event full of confidence after taking victory at the British Modern Tetrathlon Championships last weekend.
Two time Olympian Murray topped the swim and fence discipline standings on her way to silver at the Tetrathlon Championships whilst 2015 Junior World Champion Summers will make just her second international appearance since returning from injury.
Although host to World Cup 4 in 2016, 26 year-old Cooke returns to the place that started his golden run to World number 1 last season when he claimed a stunning World Cup gold in Kecskemet. The Rio Olympian has finished inside the top 10 in each of his three international appearances since the Games and will look to continue his new-found consistency that is so hard to achieve in modern pentathlon.
23 year-old Curry who is currently ranked second in the UK will also head to Hungary in good form having secured a best-ever World Cup finish in Los Angeles before claiming bronze at the British Modern Tetrathlon Championships. Meanwhile, Pillage will compete in the Mixed Relay as he continues to gain experience at senior international level. The 19 year-old will be looking to continue his fine form after 2nd and 4th place finishes in the opening two World Cup Mixed Relays, the silver coming alongside Muir in Cairo.
The event in Kecskemet is the third of the 2017 World Cup season following competitions in Los Angeles and Cairo. A further World Cup will be held in Drzonkow, Poland later this month (25th-29th May) before the World Cup Final in Druskininkai, Lithuania from 23rd-25th June.
The schedule for World Cup 3 from Thursday 4th to Monday 8th May 2017 is as follows:
- Thursday 4th May – Women’s Qualification
- Friday 5th May – Men’s Qualification
- Saturday 6th May – Women’s Final
- Sunday 7th May – Men’s Final
- Monday 8th May – Mixed Relay
Women’s team:
- Kate French, 26, originally from Gravesend, Kent. Currently training at Bath NTC. Rio 2016 Olympian and 2017 World Cup 2 gold medallist.
- Samantha Murray, 27, originally from Clitheroe, Lancashire. Currently training at Bath NTC. London 2012 silver medallist and 2014 World Champion.
- Joanna Muir, 22, originally from Dumfries. Currently training at Bath NTC. 2016 World Championships Women’s Relay silver medallist & 2017 British Modern Tetrathlon Champion.
- Francesca Summers, 21, originally from Dorking, Surrey. Currently training in Paris. 2015 Junior World Champion.
Men’s team:
- Jamie Cooke, 26, originally from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Currently training at Bath NTC. Rio 2016 Olympian and 2016 World Cup Final Champion.
- Sam Curry, 23, originally from Salfords, Surrey. Currently training at Kings College London. 2014 European Championships Men’s Relay bronze medallist.
- Myles Pillage, 19, originally from Plymouth, Devon. Currently training at Bath NTC. 2016 Youth A European Championships Mixed Relay bronze medallist.
Report courtesy of Pentathlon GB
