WCTAP - NEWS
Youth Team Selections posted by John Woodbridge on30-06-2011
The team selections for the forthcoming Youth internationals can now be downloaded form the Team Selection page.
Congratulations ot all the athletes who have been selected to represent GBR. We wish them luck in their competitions.
World Cup Final Webcast posted by John Woodbridge on30-06-2011
There will be a mix of recorded highlights and LIVE webcasting from the World Cup Final in London this weekend. The timetable for each day is as follows:
You can watch the event here.
Saturday 9 July 2011 – Men’s Final
- Fencing & Swimming highlights: 13:55 – 15:20
- Riding all 36 rides LIVE: 15:20 – 17:10
- Review of Fencing & Swimming highlights: 17:10 - 18:30
- ombined Event LIVE: 18:30 – 19:00
- Interviews and Medal Ceremony 19:00: onwards
Sunday 10 July 2011 – Women’s Final
- Fencing & Swimming highlights: 12:50 – 14:30
- Riding all 36 rides LIVE: 14:30 – 16:05
- eview of Fencing & Swimming highlights: 16:05 - 18:30
- Combined Event LIVE: 17:25 - 17:50
- Interviews and Medal Ceremony 17:50: onwards
Olympic Gold Medallist Jonathan Edwards meets young pentathletes at Bishop Burton College posted by John Woodbridge on30-06-2011
Olympic gold medal-winning triple jumper Jonathan Edwards paid a visit to East Yorkshire today (Wednesday) when he travelled to Bishop Burton College to meet young athletes who train at the College with Pentathlon GB.
Bishop Burton College is a regional training base for Pentathlon GB and all training is organised by Pentathlon GB regional development officer Ann Marshall who felt the visit went exceptionally well.
Jonathan Edwards is a Board Member of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and Deputy Chair of the London 2012 Nations and Regions Group, and was in the region following the announcement that the torch relay in 2012 would indeed be stopping off in East Yorkshire.
The visit was organised by Yorkshire Gold, part of Welcome to Yorkshire.
Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire and Chairman of Yorkshire
Gold said:
"We are all very proud of the fantastic job the Pentathlon team do in nurturing the talent of local young athletes whose ambition it is to compete in world sporting events like London 2012.
"The dedication of Ann Marshall and her team and the facilities at Bishop Burton College are second to none and I know Jonathan Edwards will be very impressed."
The visit consisted of demonstrations of four of the five Pentathlon disciplines including riding, running, shooting and fencing as well as demonstrations of archery, basketball and aerobics.
Jonathan was keen to show his support and joined in with the riding, shooting and fencing.
He was impressed with the facilities at Bishop Burton College and with the dedication of the young athletes.
He said: "It's great to be here and this is an absolutely fantastic facility.
"I was hearing from the principal Jeanette Dawson how 2012 has inspired what"s going on here and that is wonderful.
"Sport can make such a huge difference to your life and I would encourage you, whatever you do, whether recreational or competitive, to enjoy sport as it brings such huge benefits."
Jonathan also went on to encourage the young people and their families in attendance to consider putting Anne Marshall forward as a potential London 2012 torchbearer in honour of the work she does to promote Pentathlon GB within the Yorkshire region.
Eleven-year-old James Haynes of Wold Newton was lucky enough to speak to Jonathan while he was fencing.
"He was asking how much I enjoy fencing and what the correct target area is and about the different swords," said James.
"It’s good to meet an Olympic champion as I would like to compete at the Olympics in either fencing or pentathlon."
James is currently third in the UK in the Under 12s Épée after taking up the sport three years ago following a taster session at his local sports centre.
Talent Pool athlete Ella Nicholson (15) of Lincolnshire also got the chance to meet Jonathan when she challenged him to a fencing bout.
Ella was delighted to meet Jonathan.
"I have enjoyed today. Jonathan was very calm and not too phased by the fencing - he was actually very good," said Ella.
The bout was declared a draw.
College principal Jeanette Dawson summed up the visit.
"London 2012 has inspired us to create these facilities here at the College," she said. "If the announcement hadn’t been made and the Olympic and Paralympic games were going elsewhere in 2012, this campus would look very different.
"However, when the announcement came it acted as a catalyst and inspired us to believe that providing sporting facilities of this calibre in East Yorkshire, was possible.
"Having Jonathan Edwards here today to meet the young athletes who now train in these facilities is just fantastic.
"It makes me very proud the know that through our partnerships with organisations such as Pentathlon GB, we are training future Olympians here at Bishop Burton College, and with our own elite academies we are nurturing some amazing sporting talent."
If you are interested in trying Pentathlon out for yourself contact Ann Marshall on yorkspentathlon@btinternet.com
Venue hosting start of London 2012 pentathlon is handed over posted by Steve Ballinger, Matchtight Ltd on19-06-2011
The London 2012 Handball Arena - the venue at which the world's top modern pentathletes will begin their quest for Olympic gold – has been officially handed over to the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG).
The Handball Arena will host the modern pentathlon fencing - the first element of the pentathlon - at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Work on the Olympic Park venue was completed in May and more than 160 invited guests gathered there recently to celebrate its handing from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to LOCOG.
The world's top modern pentathletes will take centre stage at the Handball Arena on the last two days of the Olympic Games – with the men competing on 11 August and the women on 12 August.
After the fencing, the athletes will move to the Aquatics Centre, also at the Olympic Park, for the swim and then to Greenwich Park for the riding and the run/shoot.
The Handball Arena features a colourful array of seats and a wide range of environment friendly measures.
Dr Klaus Schormann, President of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne, said: "The venue is very comfortable for us. It is very compact like a soccer stadium, so the crowd is very close to the action, which will create great atmosphere.
"There is a lot of natural light and it is a fantastic idea about the coloured seats."
Jon Austin, Chief Executive of Pentathlon GB, said: "Attending the handover ceremony for the Handball Arena was a firm reminder that the Olympic Games are now just around the corner.
"It's a lovely venue to host what I’m sure will be the start of an exciting 2012 modern pentathlon competition."
The Handball Arena will also host the preliminary rounds and women’s quarter-finals of the Olympic handball competition, as well as the goalball at the Paralympic Games.
After the Games it will become a multi-use venue for indoors sports competition and training.
The arena was built with sustainability as a priority – its copper cladding has a high recycled content and the field of play can be naturally lit through 88 rooftop sun pipes, achieving annual energy savings of up to 40 per cent and greater illumination than similar sized conventional lights. During television broadcasting or poor weather, the system can be switched off to allow electrical lighting to be used.
Water usage at the venue is also saved by 40 per cent through a rain harvesting system that feeds into toilets and other non-potable systems.
Pictured at the handing over ceremony are (left to right): Peter Hart (London 2012 Modern Pentathlon Competition Manager), Martin Dawe (Pentathlon GB Vice Chair), Anthony Temple (Pentathlon GB Chairman), Debbie Jevans (LOCOG Director of Sport), Dr Klaus Schormann (UIPM President), Georgina Harland (British Olympic Association Sports Engagement Manager and Athens 2004 Olympic bronze medal winning modern pentathlete) and Jon Austin (Pentathlon GB Chief Executive).
Youth A & B Ranking Lists posted by Stuart Mason on07-06-2011
The ranking lists for the Youth A and B athetes have now been published on the rankings page following the weekend's selection competitions.
National Youth Selection Competition - Timetable posted by John Woodbridge on01-06-2011
The amended timetable and instructions for the National Youth Selection Competition to be held on 4th and 5th June at Bath can be downloaded here.
Cooke and Woodbridge to compete at World Cup Final Olympic qualifier posted by Steve Ballinger on01-06-2011
Twenty-year-old Jamie Cooke has qualified to compete at his first Modern Pentathlon World Cup Final.
The young Briton sealed his place at the competition in London in July by finishing 18th in the last round of the 2011 World Cup series in Chengdu, China at the weekend.
That performance helped Cooke, originally from Cheltenham but now training at the Pentathlon GB High Performance Centre at the University of Bath, finish the highest placed Brit in the men's World Cup standings in 13th.
Beijing 2008 Olympian Nick Woodbridge also qualified for the World Cup Final by finishing 24th in the 2011 World Cup standings.
It means Great Britain will have a five-strong team competing at the World Cup Final on 9 and 10 July with Cooke and Woodbridge joining the GB women"s trio of Heather Fell, Freyja Prentice and Mhairi Spence.
The winner of both the men’s and women’s competitions at the World Cup Final achieve a quota qualification place for London 2012.
The top-eight in the men’s and women’s competitions at the European Championships at Medway in Kent from 28 July to 1 August 2011 also achieve qualification places for 2012.
A maximum of two athletes per gender per country can compete in the modern pentathlon at London 2012. The GB team for London 2012 will be selected by the British Olympic Association.
Cooke 18th in Chengdu posted by Steve Ballinger on29-05-2011
Twenty-year-old Brit Jamie Cooke finished in 18th place in Modern Pentathlon World Cup 4 in China today (Sunday).
Cooke, the only British athlete to make the men's final, made an impressive start to his campaign in Chengdu by finishing joint ninth in the fencing, winning 19 of his 35 contests.
He followed that up with another terrific swim. His time 1:57.68 was the fastest of the day, earning him 1388 pentathlon points and propelling him to third overall going into the ride.
The young Brit had four fences down in the riding area on a day when five pentathletes went clear within the allotted time.
He dropped down the field in the final round of shooting, ending his campaign in Chengdu with a run/shoot time of 11:50.92 for 18th place overall.
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: "Jamie produced a respectable performance today. He has demonstrated a good standard this year.”
Jamie is originally from Cheltenham and now trains at the Pentathlon GB High Performance Centre at the University of Bath.
Details of which GB men have qualified to compete at the World Cup Final in London in July should be available shortly.
World Cup 4 men"s final results
Gold: Choon-huan Lee (KOR) - 5780 pts
Silver: Serguei Karyakin (RUS) – 5756 pts
Bronze: Bence Demeter (HUN) – 5748 pts
18th: Jamie Cooke (GBR) – 5524 pts
Major events this season are:
* World Cup Final – London, 9-10 July
* European Championships – Medway, Kent, 28 July-1 August
* World Championships - Moscow, Russia, 8-14 September
* Denotes event at which London 2012 quota places are available. A maximum of two men and two women per country can compete at London 2012. See the UIPM qualification system for further information.
Trio of GB women to compete at World Cup Final Olympic qualifier posted by Steve Ballinger on29-05-2011
Great Britain will have a strong presence in the women's event at the Modern Pentathlon World Cup Final in London in July, with Mhairi Spence, Freyja Prentice and Heather Fell all securing places to compete.
The 2011 World Cup Final is the Olympic test event and provides the first opportunity for British athletes to qualify a quota place to compete at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The British trio of Spence, Prentice and Fell have all won medals on the Modern Pentathlon World Cup circuit this year. Great Britain will be one of only six countries to have the full complement of three women competing at the World Cup Final.
Qualification for the World Cup Final, which takes place at Crystal Palace and Greenwich Park on 9 and 10 July, is based on final positions in the World Cup standings for 2011. Spence, Prentice and Fell all finished in the top-five.
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: "I had expected us to qualify three women given the depth of the British team. They now need to stay healthy and get ready to compete. It will be a great test for them.
“It would be fantastic if one of them could win and qualify for the Games, but the top athletes in the world will be competing, so nothing is set in stone.”
Mhairi Spence finished second in the 2011 World Cup standings following her silver medal at the opening World Cup of the year in the USA in February and her bronze in Hungary earlier this month.
The 25-year-old, originally from Inverness but now training at the Pentathlon GB High Performance Centre at the University of Bath, said: “I"m really pleased to be going to the World Cup Final. It’s the first Olympic qualifier, but there’s only one Olympic spot there, so it will be quite hard to get it.
“It’s an opportunity though,” she added. “It’s also an opportunity to practice competing in front of a home crowd and to test out some of the venues.
“It will be another chance to practice creating that flow that leads to the ultimate performance.”
Freyja Prentice, aged just 21, qualified third in the World Cup standings. She won bronze at World Cup 2 in Italy in April and currently tops the women’s world junior rankings. She is originally from Inverurie but is now combining training in Bath with studying for a Biology degree at the University of Bath.
Devonian Heather Fell made sure of her place on the GB World Cup Final team by winning the silver medal at the last World Cup of the year in Chengdu, China on Saturday. The 28-year-old Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medallist finished fifth in the overall World Cup standings. She won silver at the 2008 World Cup Final in Portugal.
But there was disappointment for two other British women - Katy Burke and Samantha Murray.
Burke became the fourth British pentathlete to finish in the top-10 in the 2011 World Cup standings, ending her campaign seventh overall.
However, only three athletes per nation can compete in the World Cup Final, so Burke missed out. Murray also missed out, despite finishing 26th overall in the 2011 World Cup standings.
Germany’s Olympic champion Lena Schoneborn topped the World Cup standings, with Brazil’s Yane Marques the only other non-Brit in the top-five. She came fourth overall.
Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Russia are the other countries alongside Great British to qualify three women to compete at the World Cup Final. Athletes from 19 nations will compete.
The winner of both the men’s and women’s competitions at the World Cup Final achieve a quota qualification place for London 2012.
The top-eight in the men’s and women’s competitions at the European Championships at Medway in Kent from 28 July to 1 August 2011 also achieve qualification places for 2012.
A maximum of two athletes per gender per country can compete in the modern pentathlon at London 2012. The GB team for London 2012 will be selected by the British Olympic Association.
For a full list of all 36 women’s World Cup Final qualifiers please go to http://www.pentathlon.org/component/k2/item/904-schoneborn-tops-world-cup-series-standings
Details of men’s qualifiers are expected shortly.
Major events this season are:
* World Cup Final – London, 9-10 July
* European Championships – Medway, Kent, 28 July-1 August
* World Championships - Moscow, Russia, 8-14 September
* Denotes event at which London 2012 quota places are available. A maximum of two men and two women per country can compete at London 2012. See the UIPM qualification system for further information.
Olympic medallist Fell wins World Cup silver at Chengdu posted by Steve Ballinger on28-05-2011
Britain's Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medallist Heather Fell won her first Modern Pentathlon World Cup medal of the year by taking silver in Chengdu, China today (Saturday).
It means British women have won medals at all four World Cups this season following Mhairi Spence"s silver and bronze at World Cup 1 and 3, and Freyja Prentice’s bronze at World Cup 2.
Fell went into the final discipline, the run/shoot in third place, 45 seconds between leader Sarolta Kovacs, Hungary’s world junior champion. But she shot and ran well, taking the lead during the second 1k run.
The 28-year-old Devonian former world number one went into the final shoot neck-and-neck with Ekaterina Khuraskina, but the Russian was quicker away from the shooting range and ran strongly to cross the finishing line six seconds ahead of Fell. Fell’s run/shoot time of 11:55.39 was the fourth fastest of the day.
Young Brits Freyja Prentice and Katy Burke also produced top-10 finishes. Prentice produced another strong run/shoot - her 12:07.36 was the seventh fastest - to climb from 14th place to eighth, maintaining her impressive record of finishing in the top-10 in each of her World Cups.
Burke climbed a place from 10th to finish ninth overall, while Samantha Murray also finished in the top half of the 36-strong field in 16th.
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, said: "Heather has been really focussed in training and I’m pleased with how she handled it today. This is a really positive result for her.”
Fell and Prentice led the British challenge early on. The pair each won 20 of their 35 fencing bouts for joint seventh place. Burke’s 17 wins put her in 17th while Murray’s 14 wins put her 27th.
Murray climbed 12 places to 15th with an impressive 2:13.27 for the 200m freestyle, the third fastest time of the day. Burke, another strong swimmer, also climbed up the leaderboard courtesy of a 2:14.71 swim, the fifth best time, promoting her to ninth.
Fell went to the ride in fourth. Her time of 2:15.55 was the seventh quickest. Prentice’s time of 2:23.37 saw her drop to 15th as all four GB athletes went into the ride in the top half of the field.
Fell kept up her challenge by going clear in the riding arena in the allotted time making her one of eight riders to bag the full 1200 riding points. That put her third going into the run/shoot – 208 point and 45 seconds behind event leader Kovacs, Hungary’s world junior champion and just two seconds behind another Hungarian, Adrienn Toth.
Burke had just one fence down to add 1180 points to her total. She went into the run/shoot in 10th place a minute and six seconds off the leader.
Prentice and Murray both dropped 40 points from the maximum, which meant Prentice went into the run/shoot in 14th a minute and 19 seconds of the leader with Murray two places and five seconds further back.
Despite Fell’s best efforts, gold went to Russia’s Khuraskina, who had gone into the run/shoot in fourth place. Germany’s Annika Schleu, went into the run/shoot in eighth and took bronze.
Tomorrow (Sunday) Jamie Cooke represents Great Britain in the men’s final. Bartu said: “It’s going to be tough for Jamie tomorrow, but hopefully he will get some inspiration from the performances of the ladies today.”
The competition in China is the final chance for athletes to try to qualify for the World Cup Final in London in July. Qualification is based on World Cup standings. Qualifiers for the event will be confirmed shortly.
Britain’s modern pentathlon team train at the Pentathlon GB High Performance Centre at the University of Bath.
World Cup 4 women’s final results
Gold: Ekaterina Khuraskina (RUS) – 5420 pts
Silver: Heather Fell (GBR) – 5396 pts
Bronze: Annika Schleu (GER) - 5364 pts
8th: Freyja Prentice (GBR) – 5212 pts
9th: Katy Burke (GBR) – 5192 pts
16th: Samantha Murray (GBR) – 5028 pts
World Cup 4 competition schedule
Sunday 29 May Men's individual final
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