Great Britain’s best modern pentathletes are set to do battle as Jamie Cooke, Joe Choong and Kate French lead a star-studded line-up at the first 2019 Pentathlon GB Ranking Competitions this weekend.
It will be the first return to action for reigning World Champion Cooke since his stunning success in Mexico City last September. 2018 European medalists and fellow Rio Olympians Choong and French will also both be making their first appearances of the season. The trio will be joined in a high-qualify field by Joanna Muir, who finished 5th at the 2016 European Championships, 2015 Junior World Champion Francesca Summers, current Junior European women’s relay title holders Zoe Davison and Charlie Follett as well as Myles Pillage, who was part of the historic men’s world championships silver medal winning team in 2018.
The opening Senior (22+) and Junior (19-21) ranking competition of the year is being held on Saturday with the first U19 ranking event following on Sunday. Both events will be held at Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre, the University of Bath, with the riding taking place at West Wiltshire Equestrian Centre.
The competition draws top pentathletes from all over the UK, with athletes from Scotland to Devon set to compete. The men’s and women’s fields contain 20 athletes who competed internationally for Great Britain in 2018 with others harbouring the same ambitions for 2019.
The event comes at the start of a special season for Pentathlon GB athletes with qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games beginning in June and a home European Championships at the University of Bath in August.
The National Lottery funded European Championships, dubbed “Gladiators Return”, will see the best modern Pentathletes from across Europe descend on the former Roman Spa town and will run from 6th-11th August 2019. As well as continental crowns, Tokyo Olympic qualifying places will be up for grabs making it one of the most important events of the season. Tickets for the Championships will go on general sale soon with more information available at: www.pentathlongb.org/euros2019
Sunday’s youth ranking competition will see potential stars of the future in action with many of the athletes currently on the Pentathlon GB World Class Talent Pathway. There will also be a strong contingent from Pentathlon GB’s clubs and academies around the country.
In alignment with international level competitions, the Junior and Senior athletes will compete in a full modern pentathlon (fencing, swimming, riding, combined laser-run) with Under 19 athletes competing in a modern tetrathlon (fencing, swimming, combined laser-run).
Despite being early in the season, with such a wealth of talent on show and all athletes desperate to be selected for the 2019 season, this weekend promises to provide a great 2 days of competitive sport.
Approximate schedules
Saturday 12th January – National Ranking Competition 1
- Fencing – 09:00
- Swimming – 12:20
- Laser-Run – 13:30
- Riding – 15:30
- Final results – 18:00
Sunday 13th January – National Under 19 Ranking Competition 1
- Girls’ Swimming – 08:30
- Boys’ Fencing – 09:00
- Girls’ Fencing – 11:30
- Boys’ Swimming – 13:20
- Girls’ Laser-Run – 13:45
- Boys’ Laser-Run – 14:30
- Final results – 15:00
Courtesy of Pentathlon GB
