Graduates lead the way as University of Bath hosts Pentathlon GB ranking competitions
University of Bath graduates Kate French and Sam Curry were victorious when the Sports Training Village hosted the first Pentathlon GB National Ranking Competition of 2017.
Rio 2016 Olympian French, who studied Sports Performance, finished 16 points clear of Physics & Maths student Jess Varley, a Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) scholar, while former World Champion Samantha Murray was third.
Murray was fastest in the London 2012 Legacy Pool and also topped the fencing rankings with 20 wins but it was the combined run-shoot that gave French the edge as she established an overall lead which remained in place after the ride, which took place at West Wilts Equestrian Centre.
The men’s competition followed a similar pattern, with Politics & International Relations graduate Curry (pictured above) emerging from the pack in the run-shoot to establish a comfortable lead.
Sport & Exercise Science student Tom Toolis climbed into second place after the ride, while 18-year-old Myles Pillage rounded off the top three ahead of University-based trio Jamie Cooke, Bradley Sutton and Jamie Harper.
MJ Church ambassador and Ivor Powell Scholar Joe Choong, who studies Mathematics, excelled in the fencing and was sitting fourth after the run-shoot but had to pull out before the ride.
Saturday saw the first National Youth Ranking Competition of the year take place at the Sports Training Village, with Olivia Green and Oliver Murray winning the girls’ and boys’ events respectively.
The University of Bath is home to Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre and will once again stage the second National Ranking Competition on February 12.
Click here to read full reports on the weekend’s action on the Pentathlon GB website.
