Modern Pentathlon 2014
Masters World Championships September 2014
Result: 16th
The XIII Masters World Championships took place in the Olympic Park in Berlin on 18-20 September 2014. The location is iconic, most famous for being the track on which the African-American athlete Jesse Owens set a new 200m record in front of a Nazi crowd.
"We all have dreams, but in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self=discipline and effort." Jesse Owens.
Over 120 masters athletes from 22 Nations are taking part in the competition. Many have represented their countries at previous Olympics or World Championships and they range in age from 30 to 76. I competed in the 40-49 age group
For the latest info, please see my Blog page. There will be no online updates nor streaming of the competition, but results will be posted to the UIPM website after the competition.
Result: 16th
The XIII Masters World Championships took place in the Olympic Park in Berlin on 18-20 September 2014. The location is iconic, most famous for being the track on which the African-American athlete Jesse Owens set a new 200m record in front of a Nazi crowd.
"We all have dreams, but in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self=discipline and effort." Jesse Owens.
Over 120 masters athletes from 22 Nations are taking part in the competition. Many have represented their countries at previous Olympics or World Championships and they range in age from 30 to 76. I competed in the 40-49 age group
For the latest info, please see my Blog page. There will be no online updates nor streaming of the competition, but results will be posted to the UIPM website after the competition.
Other competitions in 2014
Coubertin Cup - Arnhem (NED) – 28 June 2014
Masters World Championships - Berlin (GER) – 17-21 September 2014
Irish National Championships, October 2013
Results
Coubertin Cup - Arnhem (NED) – 28 June 2014 - SILVER
The international Coubertin Cup (named after the founder of the modern Olympic games and created of Modern Pentathlon) is combined with the Dutch open championship. The competition took place in the fantastic setting of the Pappendal National Sports Centre which is home to many of Hollands elite athletes and boasts fantastic facilities. Many countries were represented including Holland, Germany, Ukraine, Great Britain, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, and others. Despite a poor result in the fencing, I came into the final event (combined run-shoot) and climbed two places to take a silver medal position. There was a great atmosphere and the GBR competitors came home with a total of three medals. Great result!
Coubertin Cup - Arnhem (NED) – 28 June 2014
Masters World Championships - Berlin (GER) – 17-21 September 2014
Irish National Championships, October 2013
Results
Coubertin Cup - Arnhem (NED) – 28 June 2014 - SILVER
The international Coubertin Cup (named after the founder of the modern Olympic games and created of Modern Pentathlon) is combined with the Dutch open championship. The competition took place in the fantastic setting of the Pappendal National Sports Centre which is home to many of Hollands elite athletes and boasts fantastic facilities. Many countries were represented including Holland, Germany, Ukraine, Great Britain, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, and others. Despite a poor result in the fencing, I came into the final event (combined run-shoot) and climbed two places to take a silver medal position. There was a great atmosphere and the GBR competitors came home with a total of three medals. Great result!
Modern Pentathlon 2013
European Masters Championship, 13-15 September 2013
Check out my photo gallery
Results:
11th in my age group (40-49) in the individuals competition
Bronze medal - 3rd in Mixed Team Relay with Caroline Nickerson (thanks) - my first podium!
How did this come about?
In July 2013, while on holiday, i decided to take up Modern Pentathlon, a unique combination of sports - riding, fencing, swimming, shooting and running.
With just six weeks of intense training, I represented GBR at Masters level at the European Championships in Budapest, Hungary on 13-15 September.
In this short time, I trained across the 5 disciplines and completed 14 training sessions each week. Until early August 2013, I had never shot a pistol, held an epee or completed a show jumping course. After many years of triathlons, I can run and swim, but Modern Pentathlon is a middle distance event, much faster than I have been used to.
Why? The sport has always intrigued me. Dad competed at Modern Pentathlon in his 20s and seeing it at the London 2012 Olympics was deeply inspiring (although I am not of the generation that Lord Coe was aiming to inspire!) and planted a seed in my mind. A few days of holiday and a rest for the mind and body created the opportunity to take up a new challenge.
My first couple of weeks of training consisted mainly of watching YouTube clips, reading up on the rules and following other athletes on social media. I then set about joining sports clubs for fencing, shooting and swimming. I found a local riding school near us and took up riding after a 20 year break. Importantly, I had to reach the standards set by Pentathlon GB to get three critical certificates signed off so that I could enter a competition. With lots of help from expert coaches, the certificates were signed and this paved the way to enter my first competition.
Suddenly I found myself heading off to the European Championships for the Modern Pentathlon Masters in Budapest. Why not!
Thank you to all those who have helped me get up to speed in such a short time - Julie, Ted, Catherine, Alistair, Sarah, Metta, Zed, Shirley, Alan, James, Clive, Rob, Dave to name a few. I definitely could not have done it without you! Thanks also to the team at PentathlonGB for their support and kit, which I wore with enormous pride.
Irish National Championships, October 2013
Result: 1st place, Masters men.
Check out my photo gallery
Results:
11th in my age group (40-49) in the individuals competition
Bronze medal - 3rd in Mixed Team Relay with Caroline Nickerson (thanks) - my first podium!
How did this come about?
In July 2013, while on holiday, i decided to take up Modern Pentathlon, a unique combination of sports - riding, fencing, swimming, shooting and running.
With just six weeks of intense training, I represented GBR at Masters level at the European Championships in Budapest, Hungary on 13-15 September.
In this short time, I trained across the 5 disciplines and completed 14 training sessions each week. Until early August 2013, I had never shot a pistol, held an epee or completed a show jumping course. After many years of triathlons, I can run and swim, but Modern Pentathlon is a middle distance event, much faster than I have been used to.
Why? The sport has always intrigued me. Dad competed at Modern Pentathlon in his 20s and seeing it at the London 2012 Olympics was deeply inspiring (although I am not of the generation that Lord Coe was aiming to inspire!) and planted a seed in my mind. A few days of holiday and a rest for the mind and body created the opportunity to take up a new challenge.
My first couple of weeks of training consisted mainly of watching YouTube clips, reading up on the rules and following other athletes on social media. I then set about joining sports clubs for fencing, shooting and swimming. I found a local riding school near us and took up riding after a 20 year break. Importantly, I had to reach the standards set by Pentathlon GB to get three critical certificates signed off so that I could enter a competition. With lots of help from expert coaches, the certificates were signed and this paved the way to enter my first competition.
Suddenly I found myself heading off to the European Championships for the Modern Pentathlon Masters in Budapest. Why not!
Thank you to all those who have helped me get up to speed in such a short time - Julie, Ted, Catherine, Alistair, Sarah, Metta, Zed, Shirley, Alan, James, Clive, Rob, Dave to name a few. I definitely could not have done it without you! Thanks also to the team at PentathlonGB for their support and kit, which I wore with enormous pride.
Irish National Championships, October 2013
Result: 1st place, Masters men.
