01 Feb 2013

Pershore swimmers proving their potential.

Two local school pupils from Pershore High School and Bowbrook House (Peopleton) have made the National Finals of the 'World Schools Biathlon' organised by Pentathlon GB.

Year 8 pupil Tazmin Pugh warmly supported by Pershore High School and year 10 student Harry Sykes from Bowbrook House won their places in London's Crystal Palace finals at the end of March by being in the rankings in the semi finals which were cancelled during the last few weeks due to the weather. In those finals Pugh will be ranked 2nd and Sykes 11thin their respective gender age groups.

For Pugh who during the last two years has been helped with a grant from the Joanna Brown Trust this competition will be her first venture into biathlon. Although invited to train with the Pentathlon GB development squad due to her swimming and running times Pugh has taken the decision to concentrate more on swimming and remain with the England Talent Development Squad, having made four qualifying times in National Age Group Championships last year and making the finals in the 100m fly finishing 8th. Since then she has proved her swimming pedigree once again in the National Inter-County Team Gala in Sheffield in October finishing as top 12 year old girl in the 100m back and 2nd in the 100m fly helping the Counties of Hereford and Worcester gain promotion.

For Sykes taking (representing Croome Pony Club) the natural step from being one of the best tetrathletes (running, swimming, riding and shooting) in the Region and indeed the Country to progress into five Modern Pentathlon disciplines. For Sykes this means undergoing intensive tuition for his latest skill of fencing at Hartpury College (Herefordshire) and Bromsgrove School to help bring him up to scratch having already been away with the Pentathlon GB squad to Hungary to receive coaching from top International athletes just before Christmas. Fourteen year old Harry was recognised and brought himself onto the radar of the Pentathlon GB scene last summer to finish 3rd in the PentathlonGB National Triathlon Championships in the under 17 boys and so being one of the youngest competing.

From there he was immediately invited onto the England Talent programme and has obviously impressed. Harry has learnt in the last few days, less than six months after he was spotted by PentathlonGB that he is one of five boys to be invited onto their World Class Talent Programme (WCTP) where his coaches have recognised Harry is showing "àthe right attributes to go on and effectively compete effectively on the world stageà.' (PentathlonGB). Hoping to rise eventually to "Podium Potential" he will now be able to access all relevant coaching free of charge with a promise of an International Training trips with the PentathlonGB squad. Durinf Easter he will be on a three day camp at Hartpury College with a squad from Germany visiting.

For Pugh and Sykes they will be continuing their training for their respective sports hoping it will help in their preparations for the World Schools Biathlon towards the end of March having known each other initially at Bowbrook House school for eight years and at Pershore Swimming club for the last seven years. 

During that time they have both won multiple titles of Wychavon junior Sports Personalities and indeed both won the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Junior Sports Personality Awards in 2011. Together they have won multiple school's National Championships in Swimming, Athletics and Cross-Country and will be hoping once again that if one can gain success it may benefit the other as it has in the past. Before that important day the club mates were out on representation duty firstly on Saturday running for South Worcestershire in the Youth County (Hereford & Worcester) Cross Country Champs where yr 8 pupil Tazmin running in the yrs 8 & 9 division came 9thout of 48 and Harry 14th (again in the lower age group of the yr 10 & 11 division. The following day they were out together again representing the County of Hereford and Worcester in a six-way inter county match in Stoke on Trent once again with great success.

On the following day in the South Worcestershire Middle Schools Cross Country Champs at Bredon 'Pullcourt' School three of our club's swimmers excelled with for the yr 8's Pugh taking 1st place,  Louise Hird 7th and Hannah Kenwright in 12th, with Callum Sanderson coming 6th for the boys.  In the same champs in the yr 7's Mia Du Toit excelled coming 3rd and will go forward to the County Chanps whilst Jasmine Taite just missed out on a County invite in 7th place.  In the yr 6's Simon finished in 32nd just ahead of Josh Sharratt in 35th.

Ian Pugh    photo

 

Ian Pugh,    photo

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