It will be a third Games apiece for French and fellow Tokyo gold-medallist Choong, who has won two Modern Pentathlon World Championship titles since claiming Olympic gold in record-breaking style in 2021. The duo, who studied Sports Performance and Mathematics at the University respectively, also competed at Rio 2016.

Kerenza Bryson (Photo: Nic Delves-Broughton)

Making their Olympic debuts are Bryson, who set the Paris qualification standard by winning bronze when Bath hosted the UIPM World Championships last summer, and fellow Plymouth-born pentathlete Pillage, who studied Biochemistry at the University and this month achieved a top-10 finish at the 2024 World Championships in China.

The quartet all train at the Team Bath Sports Training Village which has been home to Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre since 1998. During that time seven athletes have gone on to win medals at the Olympic Games – Steph Cook (gold) and Kate Allenby (bronze) at Sydney 2000, Georgina Harland (bronze) at Athens 2004, Heather Fell (silver) at Beijing 2008, Samantha Murray (silver) at London 2012, and Choong and Kate French (both gold) at Tokyo 2020.

Several of those athletes combined their sport with studying at the University – Murray and Choong were both supported by sporting scholarships while pursuing their dual careers, as was Pillage.

Harland is now Performance Director of Pentathlon GB and said: “It is fantastic to be able to formally announce these athletes today, it will be a proud moment for them all. The decision the selection panel had to make was a difficult one. However, we know this squad going to the Games has fantastic medal potential and we look forward to doing all we can to support them in realising their ambitions.”

Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England added: “We are very proud to welcome back defending Olympic Champions Joe and Kate to Team GB for Paris 2024. Their exceptional performances at Tokyo 2020 were wonderful to watch during what was a record-breaking Games for the modern pentathlon team. Alongside Myles and Kerenza, who both will make their Olympic debuts this summer for Team GB, we are excited at what awaits this extremely talented team in Paris.”

The modern pentathlon finals in Paris will take place on the final weekend of the Games, with the men going for gold on Saturday 10th August and the women on Sunday 11th.

Today’s selections mean that 13 athletes who train, study or represent the University of Bath have now been picked for Paris by Team GB. The pentathletes join swimmers Freya Anderson, Kieran Bird, Leah Crisp, Tom Dean, Ben Proud and Jacob Whittle, artistic swimmer Kate Shortman, rower Becky Wilde and rugby 7s player Grace Crompton on the Eurostar.

Follow Bath-based athletes on their journey to Paris at teambath.com/Paris2024.

With thanks to Team Bath

Pentathlon GB’s Jess Varley won silver in the women’s final at the UIPM Pentathlon World Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria on 11th May 2024.
Photo: UIPM World Pentathlon / Nuno Gonçalves

Pentathlon GB team-mate Emma Whitaker finished just outside the medals and Kate French placed 13th in a fiercely-fought women’s final, while Myles Pillage was 12th in the men’s final.

All the athletes needed strong performances as they sought to qualify for this year’s World Cup Final and a chance of setting the Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualification standard.

Varley did just that, performing consistently across all the disciplines to go into the decisive laser-run in fourth place. A strong runner, she quickly managed to overhaul Elodie Clouvel’s 33-second lead and came out of the last shoot in a thrilling battle for gold with Blanka Guzi which the Hungarian managed to edge.

“I’ve had a rocky couple of years but I’m back on the podium, yay!” said Varley. “I don’t think I’ve ever started a laser-run so high up, so I knew I was absolutely capable of getting a medal today and I’m so happy that I could come out and do it.

“I fell off a horse in training just before World Cup Final last year and had a fracture in my spine, which meant I wasn’t at full fitness for World Championships.

“It’s so competitive with all the British athletes having two World Cups this year. At the first World Cup I did I had a migraine in the laser-run of the qualifications and didn’t qualify, had an absolute disaster, so this was my last shot. I had to come here and get a medal and I can’t believe I’ve done it.”

Whitaker started the final in 16th place after the fencing ranking round but strong riding and swimming pushed her up the table. She continued to climb in the laser-run and was closing in on bronze-medallist Malak Ismail, finishing just a couple of seconds behind. Olympic Champion French started the day in eighth but her medal hopes were undone by a challenging ride.

The technical riding course continued to pose problems in the men’s final and Pillage, who started the day in 16th, was only able to make up a couple of places. He excelled in the pool once again, recording the second-fastest time, to start the laser-run in 12th place – a position he maintained through to the finish line.

Attention now turns to the World Cup Final in Ankara, Turkey, from 22-26 May where all-important ranking points will be on the line ahead of Paris 2024.

The University of Bath has been home to Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre since 1998, with the athletes doing their fencing, swimming, laser-run and strength and conditioning training at the Team Bath Sports Training Village. Find out more at teambath.com/modern-pentathlon.

With thanks to the Team Bath Press Office

The University of Bath-based pentathlete, who had won bronze in the opening World Cup of the Paris 2024 Olympic season, was in magnificent form in the fencing ranking round as she won 27 of her 35 bouts.

That meant she started the women’s final with a 20-point advantage over the field and she maintained that with an outstanding ride, using all her equestrian skills to control a nervous horse and complete the course without picking up any penalties.

Her rivals were able to close the gap slightly in the swimming but Bryson underlined her dominance in the laser-run, eventually crossing the line 26 seconds clear of silver-medallist Seungmin Seong of South Korea.

“I am on a run at the moment and I feel like it’s just positive vibes all round,” said Bryson. “It couldn’t really be going any better, to be honest, and I was really happy to start the laser-run in first because that’s not comfortable for me. I’m not used to starting in first and I was definitely not in my safe space, so it was really good practice to deal with that pressure.

“I’ve just got to stay confident in myself and trust in the process, my coaches and the programme. If I can keep going and trusting in myself it will keep going in the right direction for the Games.”

The men’s final, which was delayed by bad weather, saw University of Bath graduate Myles Pillage produce a good ride in tough conditions – knocking down just one fence – and then become the only athlete to go under two minutes in the swimming pool as he finished ninth overall.

Sports Management and Coaching student Charlie Brown was one of four athletes who were eliminated in the riding round, meaning he had to settle for 17th place overall.

The action now moves to Budapest, Hungary where Pentathlon GB will contest World Cup 3 from 23-28 April.

Follow Bath-based athletes on their journey to Paris 2024 at teambath.com/Paris-2024.

With thanks to Team Bath

The hubs, which also intend to decentralise talent from its historic home base of Bath, will launch in April. The hubs will be located at:

Millfield School in Somerset
Leweston School in Dorset
North West Hub near Clitheroe in Lancashire
The Warriors Pentathlon and Athletic Club in Merseyside
University of Bath in Somerset
Kings College in Taunton
Vine Conference Centre in Dunfermline.

A second phase of hubs are expected to open in the autumn.

The hubs form part of Pentathlon GB’s four-year strategy to grow and enhance the network of opportunities for people to get involved in Pentathlon, elevating the presence of its family of sports in Britain for the next generation of athletes and sporting fans. Pentathlon GB’s ambitious strategy is to extend its relevance and reach, engage with more diverse audiences, win more medals, and ensure its sustainability for the long term.

The hubs will have four different tiers of excellence depending on their level of provision, and will focus on areas including Talent for elite athletes, Development for those making progression in the sport, Foundation for beginners and Penta+, its new multi-sports sub brand including Penta Run, Penta Swim, Penta Shoot, Penta Fence, Penta Obstacle and Penta Ride. Pentathlon GB’s national Pentathlon Clubs will feed into and support their local hub, offering inter club competitions at local hubs, as well as inter hub competitions across the country. They will also streamline appropriate pathways for their members, depending on their age, ability and ambition, offering athletes and newcomers the chance to access elite facilities, equipment, staff and events.

Rhys Edwards, Head of Pathways, Pentathlon GB says: “Until now, much of our training and coaching has been led by our relationship with the University of Bath, which has made it difficult to grow and make our sports more accessible to others across the UK. Whilst the University of Bath remains one of our elite talent hubs, in order to make Pentathlon more inclusive and bring a broader range of people into our sport, it was critical to decentralise our coaching and talent pathway. We can now remove the narrative that you have to be in Bath to be successful. Having a broader range of talent hubs across different academic levels also means individuals can continue in our sport on a path that is right for them.”

Steph Parsons, Head of Participation, Pentathlon GB says: “A key criteria is that each hub must support its own local community and offer open access to our sports, meaning local people can engage with Pentathlon and learn more about the sport at informal, fun ‘have a go’ sessions without committing; our hubs will support everyone from a recreational participant to a committed full-time athlete. We urge local community leaders, schools and sports clubs to connect with our hubs to see what we have on offer and how they can get involved in our multi-disciplined sport.”

Antonia Cord, Head of Modern Pentathlon, Millfield School says: “Millfield is proud to become a Pentathlon GB Talent Hub; it’s a commitment to fostering innovation, collaboration and positive change. Being a hub means being part of a dynamic community dedicated to inclusivity, opportunities, sharing knowledge and making a real impact for our sport. I’m most looking forward to the opportunities available to our local community to access our sports for learning, growth and connecting with like-minded individuals, coaches and hubs who are passionate about sport and making a difference.”

With thanks to Pentathlon GB via Big Fish PR

Pentathlon GB scooped the Best Event category at this year’s Bath Awards 2024, and won the UIPM’s (The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne) Event of the Year.

Bath Life Awards captured by Bath local photographer. Beata Cosgrove Photography

The World Championships were an international qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympics, showcasing approximately 700 elite athletes, including Team GB Olympic champion Joe Choong. It was one of the biggest sporting events ever staged in the South West of England, featuring hundreds of athletes, coaches, support staff, volunteers, delegates and media, as well as 4,500 spectators from across the globe.

The event had a specific focus on young people and inclusion, with the local economy benefitting from an injection of more than £1 million via thousands of participants and visitors to the city.

The Pentathlon GB-managed event debuted spectators being able to enjoy watching fencing, horse-riding and laser run (running and laser shooting) live from their seats at the outdoor arena, while the swimming section, which took place in the University’s Olympic-sized pool, was broadcast live via a large video screen in the stadium.

It is the first time Great Britain has hosted the World Championships since 2009, with the BBC broadcasting coverage of the men’s, women’s and mixed relay finals. The Laser Run World Championships, also held as part of the event, included a Para Laser Run category for the first time.

Alongside the sporting competitions, Pentathlon GB converted the University of Bath’s indoor tennis courts into a ‘have a go’ fencing and laser shooting zone, with additional activities for all the family, including time trials against the champions, design a swim cap and a fun obstacle course for younger children.

Trafford Wilson, CEO of Pentathlon GB says: “We are over the moon to have been recognised at these two awards, and I am extremely proud of my team’s hard work in bringing the World Championships to life. These awards are for them. Hosting the World Championships in Bath in the same year as we celebrated 100 years of pentathlon in Great Britain and its 25-year connection with the city was momentous for us and so we are particularly honoured to have won at the Bath Awards 2024.

“However, the true triumph of our World Championships is best gauged by its enduring legacy. The team at Pentathlon GB is consistently working to grow our sport and is focused on taking participation to new heights in partnership with local clubs and schools, helping to make modern pentathlon more accessible and inclusive. This includes introducing a new ‘friendly’ brand, Penta+, to help bring in and inspire a new audience.”

With thanks to Pentathlon GB via Big Fish Public Relations

Bryson went into the women’s final sitting in fifth place after the fencing ranking round and made an excellent start to the day by scoring a maximum 300 points in the riding.

She then clocked 2:26.19 in the swim to start the decisive laser-run in fourth place, nine seconds behind France’s Marie Otieza who Bryson quickly overhauled to claim the final podium place behind Hungary’s Michelle Gulyas and Sunwoo Kim of South Korea.

Olympic Champion French, on her first World Cup appearance since June 2022, produced solid performances in both the fencing and swimming but picked up 14 penalty points in the riding. That meant she started the run-shoot in seventh and she went on to cross the finish line in that position too.

University of Bath Sports Management and Coaching student Brown marked his 21st birthday by being GB’s sole representative in the men’s final. He sat one place outside the medals after strong performances in the fencing, riding and swimming but a challenging laser-run meant he had to eventually settle for 10th place overall.

The next World Cup is taking place in Ankara, Turkey from 16-21 April.

The University of Bath has been home to Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre since 1998. Visit teambath.com/modern-pentathlon to find out more.

With thanks to Team Bath

French, who trains with Pentathlon GB at the University of Bath, has only competed twice since winning gold in record-breaking style at the rescheduled Tokyo Games in August 2021 and took a break from the sport during 2023 to consider her future.

The lure of a third Olympics proved strong, though, and she has returned to training refreshed, recharged and fully focussed on competing at Paris 2024 in six months’ time – although she admits it will be a big challenge.

“I didn’t want to regret not trying,” said French, who also competed at Rio 2016, placing fifth. “I don’t know what’s going to happen this year, whether I will be good enough or not, but I didn’t want to be watching the Games this summer and feel like I hadn’t given it a go.

“I started training towards the end of August and have built back very gradually. I’m enjoying it and I think I’m doing OK so far. There have been ups and downs, as there always are, but the main thing I am trying to do this year is enjoy the journey. That is my focus and hopefully the results will come.

“The dream is to try and defend my title but first I need to qualify! It’s going to be very, very tough. There is a lot of strength and depth in the women’s programme but that has always been the challenge with the British squad, not just qualifying but being selected. It’s no different this year.”

French took a short break after the Tokyo Games before competing twice during the 2022 season, winning bronze at the UIPM World Cup in Turkey and placing fifth at the European Championships in Hungary.

She won team gold at the latter event with Charlie Follett and Jo Muir but elected to take time out during 2023, missing the chance to compete in a home World Championships at the University of Bath, to focus on her future.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do post pentathlon or whether I should give Paris a go, and there was everything that was going on with pentathlon as a sport too,” said French. “I just wanted to take a step back and figure it all out.

“My coaches and I decided I needed a proper break. I was an occasional fencing partner for the girls but didn’t do any training, just some running for fitness and enjoyment. It was really nice to have that space and I am very grateful for the continued support of UK Sport and the National Lottery which allowed me to take the necessary time off.

“My husband and I own a property management company in Bath, which is doing really well, and I got more involved with that. I did some corporate events too and travelled with some of the younger Pentathlon GB athletes to the U17 and U19 World Championships which was really fun.

“I kept thinking about Paris, though, and decided I had to give it a go. It’s one year of training, the last year of pentathlon as we currently know it, and I want to give it my all.”

With team-mates Olivia Green and Kerenza Bryson having already secured Team GB’s two women’s Olympic quota places for Paris 2024, French’s qualification route – and chance to put herself in the mix for one of those two spots – comes via the UIPM World Ranking list and her performances on the World Cup circuit.

Before those all-important competitions begin in Cairo, Egypt in early March, French will have an early test at the Hungarian Indoor Open in Budapest from 8-12 February.

“I really don’t know what to expect over the next few months so Budapest will be a good indication of where I am,” she said. “I have a really positive team around me and I’m fortunate to have some fantastic support from LinkFX and MiPermit, which adds another layer of confidence and encouragement to my journey.

Follow the progress of Bath-based athletes on the road to Paris 2024 at teambath.com/Paris-2024.

With thanks to Team Bath

Dorset-based 78-year-old Maslin has been the British national team’s riding coach for the last eight Olympic cycles, with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games set to be her ninth, and final, outing with the team.

Her achievements throughout her career, driving multiple Team GB medals, have led her to be recognised on the shortlist for the Coach Award for this year’s PLx Awards. The awards are a celebration of the outstanding achievements of those who contribute to making extraordinary sporting moments happen.

Maslin, who was awarded an MBE last year for services to Modern Pentathlon and has an equestrian centre in Beaminster, is cited by many as one of the key factors in GBR’s success. Since UK Sport National Lottery funding began, Maslin has worked with athletes and other coaches to build the team into a dominant force in the international sporting landscape.

Since the 2000 Olympics, GBR have seen medal success at every Games apart from in Rio. In Tokyo, Joe Choong and Kate French took home gold medals and both praised Maslin’s role in getting them to the top step.

Commenting on her nomination, Maslin said: “I’ve been a riding coach for Pentathlon GB since 1976, it’s quite frightening really. It’s been a wonderful experience and being nominated for this award is most exciting.”

PLx 2023, the annual coming together of the Olympic and Paralympic high-performance community, will take place in Stratford-upon-Avon on 28 November, where seven award winners from across the elite high-performance sector across Olympic and Paralympic sport will be celebrated by their peers.

Jon Pett, Pentathlon GB’s Performance Director, said: “After all these years, Jabeena’s enthusiasm for the sport still shines through and inspires the Modern Pentathlon team day-in-day out. Her spirit and character endears her to UK Sport’s criteria for this award to celebrate a true character within the high-performance sector.”

To find out more about the PLx Awards, hosted by UK Sport and powered by The National Lottery, visit www.uksport.gov.uk

With thanks to New Reach PR

Olympic Champion Choong, who trains and studied at the University, had a 10-second lead going into the laser-run after strong riding, fencing and swimming performances but had to hold off a fierce challenge from Mexico’s Emiliano Hernandez before pulling away to retain his men’s crown in phenomenal fashion in front of a vocal home crowd.

Kerenza Bryson and family photo: Jon Rowley.

The women’s final had seen Micheli also defend the title she won in 2022 in emphatic style as she led an Italian 1-2 with Alice Sotero, who had started the day in 17th, while Pentathlon GB’s Kerenza Bryson provided the home fans with plenty to cheer as she claimed a brilliant bronze.

Pentathlon GB won silver in both team events, with Choong being joined on the men’s podium by fellow Bath graduate Myles Pillage and Sports Management & Coaching student Charlie Brown. Olivia Green and Jess Varley completed the women’s team with Bryson after all four British women, including Emma Whitaker, placed in the top 10 of the individual rankings.

Choong said: “Three weeks ago I wasn’t even sure I would be competing as I tore my calf muscle, so I’m absolutely speechless that I won this competition. The crowd has been absolutely amazing and thank you so much for coming, it’s been one of the favourite competitions I’ve ever done.

“It’s really difficult to be negative and think you are tired when you have so many people screaming at you to do well, it really keeps you in a positive mind frame and brings the best out of you.”

Women’s champion Micheli said: “Me and my coaches have worked really hard for this and I’m really happy we could make that dream come true today. We are twice World Champion now and I’m so excited.”

Plymouth’s Bryson, who secured a Paris 2024 Olympic Games quota place for Britain, added: “I ran out of the last range sprinting and held on for dear life. It wasn’t until I looked back with 70m to go and saw I had some ground that it started to sink in.

“I want to say a massive thank you to my friends and family; to UK Sport and the National Lottery for funding us; to 165 Port and Maritime Regiment in Plymouth, my Army family who are standing behind me and allowing me to do this; and to Pentathlon GB for hosting this amazing event. I’m so grateful to everyone.”

Among those watching the finals at the Team Bath Sports Training Village, which has been home to Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre for the past 25 years, was Albert II, Price of Monaco.

The Pentathlon World Championships 2023 will conclude on Bank Holiday Monday with the mixed relay competition. Remaining tickets are available at wch2023.org.

With thanks to Team Bath

Pentathlon GB’s Kerenza Bryson, Olivia Green, Jess Varley and Emma Whitaker all successfully negotiated the semi-finals and will be joined in the gold-medal showdown by defending champion Elena Micheli, of Italy, and 2013 World Champion Laura Asadauskaite, who won gold on her two previous visits to the Team Bath Sports Training Village for the 2015 and 2019 European Championships.

Saturday sees the men bid for a place in Sunday’s finals, with University of Bath student Charlie Brown contesting Semi-Final A in the morning followed by defending champion Joe Choong and Myles Pillage representing the host nation in Semi-Final B in the afternoon.

An excellent performance in Thursday’s fencing ranking, which saw her win 20 of her 36 bouts, put Varley – who studied Natural Sciences at the University – in a strong position in the Women’s Semi-Final A but Sports Performance graduate Whitaker had work to do after recording 15 wins.

She recorded the sixth-fastest 200m freestyle time in the swimming pool to move up the rankings to 11th, while Varley started the decisive run-shoot in fifth.

Both fed off the roar of the home crowd to secure their place in the top nine, Whitaker leaping into Varley’s arms as she crossed the finish line in seventh spot.

Varley was among four athletes at the head of the field, along with Egypt’s Salma Abdelmaksoud, Hungary’s Michelle Gulyas and Alice Sotero of Italy, while Lithuaniua’s Asadauskaite moved through the field to sixth, but France’s Elodie Clouvel, the Rio 2016 Olympic silver-medallist, missed out on progressing despite starting the run-shoot with a 10-second lead.

Semi-Final B saw defending champion Micheli build on a fine fencing performance with the second-fastest swim to go into the run-shoot joint first with South Korea’s Sunwoo Kim. Green was in a group of athletes eight seconds behind while Bryson started 29 seconds behind the leaders in 11th.

A fantastic first shoot saw her move up seventh and she was able to join Green in the leading pack, safely away from danger. The Brits eventually crossed the line together in sixth and seventh, with Micheli and Mexico’s Mariana Arceo leading the athletes home.

Tickets for the semi-final on Saturday and Finals Day on Sunday, as well as the mixed relay on Bank Holiday Monday, are available at wch2023.org. Spectators can also have a go at the pentathlon disciplines in the Try Zone on the indoor tennis courts.

With thanks to Team Bath