Double Olympian Weale announces retirement
University of Bath graduate Sam Weale has announced his retirement from the sport of modern pentathlon after a career spanning more than a decade that saw him compete at two Olympic Games.
Weale took up the demanding sport of modern pentathlon in 2000 and represented Great Britain at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, finishing 10th, the best performance by a GB man since Graham Brookhouse’s eighth in 1992.
He followed that up with 13th place competing in front of a home audience at the London 2012 Olympics.
A familiar face around the Sports Training Village, home to Pentathlon GB”s National Training Centre, Weale made a piece of history when he won the individual silver medal at the 2010 European Championships in Hungary, becoming the first British man to win an individual medal at a European Championships.
His other main achievements include a World Cup bronze at Millfield in Somerset in 2008 and an individual bronze at the 2002 European Junior Championships in Hungary.
Weale, originally from East Coker near Yeovil in Somerset, just missed out on a team relay medal at the 2009 World Championships at Crystal Palace when he came fourth partnering Nick Woodbridge.
He said: “I’ve had a fantastic career. The men’s team is looking absolutely fantastic at the moment and it’s nice to see the achievements of the men equalling those of the women.
“One of my biggest regrets is not winning a team medal, but hopefully there are a lot of team medals in the men’s team now.”
Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, paid tribute to Weale. “To stay at a highly competitive level for over a decade in a sport like modern pentathlon deserves respect, especially given the physical and mental demands of the sport. Sam got some medals and a degree along the way.”
Weale initially combined training at Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre with gaining a Sports Technology degree at the University of Bath, graduating in 2005. He was also an ambassador for the Wells Sports Foundation.
Now 31, he has just embarked on a new career in teaching at Dulwich Prep School in London, where he teaches Mathematics, Science and Sport.
