Olympians lead the way as Pentathlon GB get 2019 competition season up and running at University of Bath
World Champion Jamie Cooke and European medallist Kate French made their intentions for the new season clear with commanding victories when the University of Bath played host to the opening Pentathlon GB National Ranking Competition of 2019 on Saturday.
Sports Performance graduate French – who, like Cooke, represented Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – led from start to finish in a competitive women’s field, finishing ahead of Kerenza Bryson and Joanna Muir.
Cooke, meanwhile, was second after the fence and swim but, just as was the case at the World Championships in Mexico four months ago, he surged through in the laser run to take control before holding onto his advantage in the horse-riding discipline.
Biochemistry student Myles Pillage, supported by a Trendell Sports Scholarship, took second place and Sport & Exercise Science graduate Tom Toolis was third.
As a result, Bryson and Pillage were the highest placed Junior athletes in the women’s and men’s competition respectively.
The second Pentathlon GB National Ranking Competition of the year takes place on Saturday, February 9, also at the University of Bath and West Wiltshire Equestrian Centre. The opening World Cup of the season in Cairo then follows at the end of February as the competition season steps up.
Sunday’s Youth Ranking Competition for U19 athletes – staged as a tetrathlon at the Sports Training Village – saw Bath Pentathlon Club’s Sarah Wilson and Leweston Pentathlon Academy’s George Case take top honours.
Emma Whitaker and Alex Bousfield were second and third respectively in the girls’ competition, while Toby Price and Josh Hood completed the boys’ podium.
The University of Bath has been home to Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre since 1998 and this summer will host the 2019 Modern Pentathlon European Championships – a qualifying event for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Click here for more information.
