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Kate French (modern pentathlete)

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Katherine Elizabeth French MBE (born 11 February 1991) is a British modern pentathlete who won the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Kate French
MBE
Personal information
Born (1991-02-11) 11 February 1991 (age 33)[1]
Gravesend, England[1]
Home townGravesend, England
Height1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Weight60 kg (132 lb)[1]
Sport
Country United Kingdom
SportModern Pentathlon
Coached byIstvan Nemeth
Medal record
Women's modern pentathlon
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Individual
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 Kaoshiung Team
Silver medal – second place 2019 Budapest Team
Silver medal – second place 2014 Warsaw Team
Silver medal – second place 2014 Warsaw Mixed Relay
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Budapest Individual
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Székesfehérvár Team
Gold medal – first place 2022 Székesfehérvár Mixed relay
Gold medal – first place 2019 Bath Team
Gold medal – first place 2015 Bath Team
Gold medal – first place 2013 Drzonkow Team relay
Gold medal – first place 2013 Drzonkow Team
Silver medal – second place 2019 Bath Individual
Silver medal – second place 2018 Szekesfehervar Individual
Silver medal – second place 2016 Sofia Team
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2015 Sarasota Individual
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Rostov Individual
Junior World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2010 Szekesfehervar Team
Junior European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2010 Golega Team

Personal life

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French was born on 11 February 1991 in Meopham, near Gravesend, Kent.[2] She was privately educated at the independent Cobham Hall School. She completed a degree in sports performance at the University of Bath, where she also trains at the Pentathlon GB High Performance Centre.[3]

French is married and lives in Chapmanslade, Wiltshire.[4]

Modern pentathlon

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In 2013 French finished in tenth place in the individual event at both the World Championships in held in Kaoshiung, Taiwan and at the European Championships held in Drzonków, Poland. At the European Championships she also won gold medals in the women's team event, competing alongside Mhairi Spence and Samantha Murray,[5] and in the women's relay event, with Murray and Katy Burke.[6] At the World Championships French, Murray and Spence also won the gold medal in the team event.[7]

At the 2014 World Modern Pentathlon Championships held in Warsaw, Poland, French won two silver medals. Competing with Freyja Prentice and Samantha Murray she was part of the women's team that finished second behind China and in the mixed relay event; French and Joe Evans finished second behind Justinas Kinderis and Laura Asadauskaitė of Lithuania.[8][9]

She qualified for the modern pentathlon at the 2016 Summer Olympics by finishing eighth at the 2015 European Championships held in Bath.[10] French was placed fifteenth after the first three events but missed only a single target during the combined run and shooting event to secure the top eight finish needed for Olympic qualification.[11] At the same event she won a gold medal in the team event, competing alongside Samantha Murray and Freyja Prentice, who finished tenth and thirteenth in the individual event.[11]

In 2016 she placed 5th at the Olympic games after a consistent performance throughout all events, including winning the riding event with a perfect clear round. 2017 saw her most successful season with a silver medal at World Cup 1 in Los Angeles and a gold medal at World Cup 2 in Cairo. Due to this success she achieved a world ranking high of number 2.

In 2018 French won the silver medal in the individual event at the European Championships held in Székesfehérvár, Hungary. The following year, she repeated her silver medal-winning performance in the individual event and also won gold in the team event at the European Championships held in Bath, England.

In 2021 she won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the first British competitor to win since Steph Cook took gold at the Sydney games in 2000.[12] She also broke the Olympic record for overall points in the event.

French was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to modern pentathlon.[13][14]

French took the 2023 season off.[15] She returned to competition in 2024 and on 26 June, she was announced as part of the Great Britain team for the Paris Olympics to be held later that year.[16][17] She qualified for the final at the Games with a fifth place finish in her semi-final[18] but withdrew due to illness on the morning of the competition.[19][20][21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Samantha Murray". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 June 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  2. ^ "Kate French – Modern Pentathlon". kentsport.org. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Kate French". University of Bath. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Chapmanslade's Kate French takes gold in Tokyo". Frome Times. August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Great Britain women win European modern pentathlon team gold". BBC Sport. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  6. ^ "GB women claim modern pentathlon relay team gold". BBC Sport. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  7. ^ Anderson, Gary (27 August 2013). "Hungary back on top on final day of modern pentathlon World Championships". insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Warsaw 2014 – Murray is the New Women's World Champion and China Take Team Gold in Team Event". UIPM. 6 September 2014. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  9. ^ Ballinger, Steve (8 September 2014). "British duo Kate French and Joe Evans claim mixed relay silver medals at Modern Pentathlon World Championships". Bath Chronicle. Archived from the original on 9 September 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  10. ^ "Kate French will represent Great Britain in modern pentathlon at the Rio Olympics". Kent Online. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Kate French qualifies for Rio and GB women win gold at Modern Pentathlon Euros in Bath". Bath Chronicle. 23 August 2015. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  12. ^ Media, P. A. (6 August 2021). "Kate French surges to Olympic gold for GB in modern pentathlon". the Guardian. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  13. ^ "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N19.
  14. ^ "New Year Honours 2022: Jason Kenny receives a knighthood and Laura Kenny made a dame". BBC Sport. 31 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Pentathlete returning to Olympics after year off". BBC News. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Team GB announces Modern Pentathlon line up for Paris 2024". Team GB. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  17. ^ "Choong to chase gold before change 'no-one wanted'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  18. ^ "GB's Bryson and French into modern pentathlon final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  19. ^ "GB medal hope Kate French pulls out of modern pentathlon final due to illness". South Wales Chronicle. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  20. ^ "Team GB chiefs hail Paris medal tally despite lower rate of golds". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  21. ^ "Olympics 2024: Kate French withdraws from modern pentathlon". ESPN. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
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