University of Bath graduates Ross Charlton and Emma Whitaker achieved a commendable bronze medal in the mixed team relay event representing Pentathlon GB at the 2026 European Senior Modern Pentathlon Championships, held in Istanbul.
Despite starting the competition in eighth place after the fencing round, the duo made significant progress during the event. They delivered the third-fastest obstacle course time, completing it in 1 minute and 1.63 seconds. Their performance in the swimming leg was also strong, finishing with a solid time of 54.32 seconds. These efforts advanced them to fourth place ahead of the final laser-run segment.
In the laser-run, Charlton and Whitaker excelled, recording the second-fastest time of 12 minutes and 22 seconds. This impressive finish secured their position on the podium, finishing 20 seconds ahead of the nearest competitors in third place, behind Russia and Hungary.
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Emma Whitaker also stood out individually as Pentathlon GB’s top-performing woman, finishing eighth in the women’s final. Her teammates Liv Green and Chloe Johnson contributed to the team effort with 11th and 27th places respectively. Notably, Johnson achieved this ranking in just her second senior-level competition. The British women’s team finished fourth overall in the team rankings.
The athletes benefit from training at the Team Bath Sports Training Village, an Elite Training Centre accredited by UK Sport. Since 1998, this facility has served as Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre, providing athletes with access to all five modern pentathlon disciplines at a single site, supporting their preparation and development.