Bristol’s Charlie Follett and Plymouth’s Myles Pillage finish 8th in World Cup 1 final Mixed Relay
Competition brings first World Cup of the season in Cairo to its close as Junior pair compete against a strong and experienced field in the Egyptian capital.
The first World Cup of the 2018 season came to a close yesterday with the Mixed Relay in Cairo. It was Myles Pillage, silver medallist in this event last year, and World Cup debutant Charlie Follett who lined up for Pentathlon GB against one of the most experienced mixed relay line-ups in recent seasons at World Cup level.
However, the name of the game for the young GB pair was experience, with a fantastic opportunity to build on their individual competitions from earlier in the week.
Story of the Day
The University of Bath based duo started the competition in fine form, recording the quickest swim of the day in 1.57, to lie just ahead of the French team containing individual medalists Elodie Clouvel and Valentin Belaud. It was then time to head to the fencing hall where the Podium Potential pair managed to pick up 14 victories from their 36 bouts.
An extra victory followed against Japan in the fencing bonus round meaning Pillage and Follett were lying in 7th, just 30 points behind the leading Italian team going into the ride.
The ride proved to be a real test for all athletes with none of the nations scoring the maximum 300 points. It was also to be the discipline that proved to be the downfall of the young British pair as they only managed to pick up 228 points after having three refusals and consequently a number of time penalties.
That meant Plymouth’s Pillage and Bristol’s Follett slipped to 8th ahead of the laser run, a position they maintained during the final discipline with Pillage’s sprint finish ensuring they remained ahead of Brazil at the line.
It was Italy who took the title, followed by France in silver and Kazakhstan in bronze, the French team’s 4th medal of the week.
World Cup 2 takes place in Los Angeles at the end of March with eight senior athletes selected for the Pentathlon GB team as they get ready to make their mark on the world stage in 2018.
Report courtesy of Pentathlon GB
