Bath Pentathlon Club’s Sarah Wilson takes victory ahead of Bolton-le-Sands’ Emma Whitaker and Plymouth’s Annabel Denton.
Yorkshire’s Toby Price eases to victory in boys’ event with Nottinghamshire’s Kieran Harby 2nd and Hull’s Josh Hood 3rd.
First Under 19 selection competition of the year sees over 60 athletes from around the country competing.
Bath Pentathlon Club’s Sarah Wilson and Yorkshire Pentathlon Club’s Toby Price kicked off their 2018 seasons in fine form by taking victory at the opening Pentathlon GB National Under 19 Ranking Competition of the year at the University of Bath today. Wilson, who is still new to the world of modern pentathlon, and only made her international debut in December led home Emma Whitaker and Annabel Denton in the girls’ competition with Price finishing ahead of Kieran Harby and Josh Hood in the boys’ event.
Story of the Day – Girls’ Event
An early start to the day saw the girls begin their day in the fencing hall. With a bumper entry list of 36 for the opening for the opening selection competition of the season, it was a long battle for the girls but Isabella Summers, younger sister of 2015 Junior World Champion Francesca, came out on top with 27 victories and 9 defeats from her 36 bouts. That saw the North Kent MPC athlete finish 1 hit ahead of Plymouth College’s Georgina Mitchell, Dacorum MPC’s Alex Bousfield and Leweston Pentathlon Academy’s Elektra Covell.
In the pool, it was Dacorum MPC’s Samantha Farnfield who led the way in a time of 2:20.62, ahead of Rossall Pentathlon Academy’s Kamie Lowe (2:22.41) and Plymouth College’s Annabel Denton (2:22.61). With Mitchell and Bousfield not far behind in the swim, it meant that the Warwick-born athlete held a slender advantage over Hertfordshire’s Bosufield after the opening two disciplines. Behind them, Hartpury Pentathlon Academy’s Jess Sutton moved up to third with Covell fourth and Summers fifth heading into the laser run.
However, with narrow gaps between most of the field, the combined running and shooting discipline shook up the order dramatically. Wiltshire’s Wilson, who regularly trains with Team Bath Athletics, produced a superb laser run to move from 11th to 1st in the final discipline, crossing the line 14 seconds clear of fellow 16-year-old Whitaker who moved up from 8th. Denton, one of the youngest athletes in the field, also produced a fine display in the final discipline, gaining four places to come home 3rd with Mitchell 4th and Sutton 5th at the competition’s conclusion.
Leweston Pentathlon Academy’s Charlotte Hicks was another athlete to make huge strides in the final discipline as she moved from 16th to 6th with Bousfield coming home 7th and Wellington College Community Modern Pentathlon Club’s Becky Storer 8th. Millfield School’s Abby Lebus and Yorkshire Pentathlon Club’s Jenna Flintoff, who both competed alongside Wilson at the Potsdam International last month, rounded out the top 10.
Story of the Day – Boys’ Event
In the boys’ competition, it was a serious of familiar faces towards the fore as Alne’s Price continued his fine recent ranking competition record by taking victory in a competition that saw the top 9 places filled by athletes who earned international call-ups during 2017.
The boys began their day in the pool with Hartpury Academy MPC’s Jack White leading the way in a time of 2:05.15, just ahead of brothers Tom and James Wilton who clocked 2:05.85 and 2:07.23 respectively.
Price and Harby were both well placed after the opening discipline but made their major moves in the fencing hall; Nottinghamshire’s Harby topping the standings with 21 victories and 5 defeats with Price recording 19 victories from his 26 bouts, the same number as Hartpury duo White and Josh Hood. It meant that Harby had a slender advantage over White after the opening two disciplines with Price in 3rd.
It was to be Price who took victory in impressive style with the second quickest laser run of the afternoon seeing him coast to victory by over 35 seconds. However, behind him there was a thrilling conclusion to the weekend as Harby held on to 2nd ahead of Hood in 3rd with Tom Wilton and Will Howard who couldn’t be split at the line in joint 4th. West Midlands MPC’s Guy Anderson and Ross Charlton who were two more athletes to impress in Germany last month moved up to 6th and 7th with strong laser runs, including the quickest of the day for Charlton. Leweston Pentathlon Academy’s George Case moved from 14th to 8th in the final discipline with James Wilton and Montgomery Podger rounding out the top 10 at Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre.
The second Under 19 Ranking Competition of the year takes place next month, also at the University of Bath with a third Under 19 selection competition in March at our academy Whitgift School.
Report courtesy of Pentathlon GB
