Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Kate French wins gold for Team GB in modern pentathlon | Olympic Games News

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The 30-year-old became the second British Olympic champion in modern pentathlon after Stephanie Cook in the first women’s event in 2000

Last update: 08/06/21 12:37 PM

Kate French produced an impressive series of events to win the gold medal

Britain’s Kate French won the gold medal in the modern pentathlon at the Tokyo Olympics.

She became the second British Olympic champion in modern pentathlon after Stephanie Cook in the first women’s event in 2000.

The Rio Olympics has been the Olympics since the women’s event kicked off in 2000 with Britain not winning a medal, but the French made up for it in spectacular fashion, keeping it wonderfully quiet in the final round.

The French, from Kent, started the final event in fifth but rose to the top by the end of the first lap and never seemed to give up, flawlessly hitting her targets with her laser pistol, missing only two of her 22 rounds.

She follows in the footsteps of Cook, who was Sydney’s first female Olympic champion, while Kate Allenby, Georgina Harland, Heather Vail and Samantha Murray all won medals for Britain.

The French finished fifth in Rio and was seen as a strong possibility for the medal after winning the gold in the World Cup final earlier this year.

She put in a solid performance during the first three events, sitting in sixth place after the fencing that took place on Thursday, then coming in eighth in the 200m freestyle.

For the first time at the Olympics, all disciplines were held in one stadium, with a swimming pool at one end of the Tokyo Stadium.

The Frenchie earned one extra point in the fencing bonus round and was then one of very few riders to get out in showjumping, even though she did take six shootouts.

The French clearly went into the show jumping

The modern pentagon was designed by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the Modern Games, who chose systems to simulate the challenges faced by a pedestrian captured behind enemy lines.

An essential element of the sport is riding an unfamiliar horse, in which athletes are given only 20 minutes to bond with their horse before the tour.

Showjumping has spoiled the hopes of many pentathletes, and it has been proven once again, with Ireland’s Natalia Coyle among those who fell on the field.

In the meantime, Germany’s Annika Schleu must have had great medal chances after setting an Olympic record in fencing.

Schleu was still ahead after swimming but did not tackle her horse – mistakenly called Saint Boy – and left the arena in tears and without points.

A Frenchwoman crosses the line and wins an Olympic gold medal

The final event, the running and throwing, sees the athletes complete four 800-meter legs and four rounds at the range, where they have to hit five targets at a time.

The leader takes off first, with every point turned adrift into a second, and the top five were all within 15 seconds, which quickly became academic as the French pulled away for a solo victory.

“I don’t know what just happened, I can’t really believe it now,” French said, reflecting on her Olympic victory.

“I knew I had to focus, I knew I could do it if I just focused on shooting and ran as hard as I could.

“The team on the field were supporting, I could hear them in the crowd and everyone back home, I can’t thank them enough for their support.

“I wouldn’t have done it without them. Thanks so much. Thanks so much to the National Lottery, I wouldn’t be without them either, thanks to those who buy tickets.”

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