FORMER Pentathlon World Cup and European Champion Kate Allenby, who was brought up in Tavistock, came so close to qualifying for the Olympic Games in Seoul at the weekend.
The 25-year-old had travelled to the Far East in the hope of winning the Korean World Cup series which would have guaranteed her a place at the Games in Sydney this October.
But Kate was pipped at the post by Elizaveta Suvorova from Russia and finished second — 50 metres behind the winner in the final discipline, the run.
It was a hard knock for Kate who also finished runner-up in the Texas qualifier last month.
There are 24 starting places for the ladies' modern pentathlon — and one of the two British places has already gone to Kate's former flatmate Steph Cook who won the World Cup race in Mexico City.
She still has a chance to make the Games — there is a World Cup qualifier in Darmstadt next month but she will have to beat other British challengers. However, Kate should feel confident as she won in Germany last year.