KATE Allenby, the Tavistock-born star pentathlete, got off to a flying start last weekend with a win over a former world champion in Hungary — a warm-up to the season's Olympic qualifiers.
The 25-year-old, a former world champion herself, was particularly delighted with her performance as the week had got off to the worst possible of starts.
Kate, who has just moved to Bath to train with the national squad in the lead up to the Sydney Games in October, had her car broken into and among items stolen was her pistol used in the shooting element of the five-disciplined sport.
'It was a disaster,' Kate told the Times. 'I lost nearly all my kit and ran around like a nutter all week and only just made the plane to Budupest.
'But I had a fantastic win and was really pleased as everything had gone so horribly wrong that week and I had not been happy with my training. 'This has really given me a boost.'
Kate will be off jet-setting again soon — she has a date in Texas in March when she will compete on her birthday and the next month will be travelling to Korea for the first Olympic trial.
Also on the pentathlete road is Kelly College pupil Heather Fell from Merrivale who spent her half-term with the national squad in Bath.
Heather, a tetrathon pony club team member of the Spooners and Dartmoor, is competing in the pentathlon and has made it into the junior team. She is tipped to qualify for the Junior World Championships in Florida in July.
'It is very exciting that someone else from the Tavistock area and a pony club member is competing in the sport,' said Kate.
'She has a very bright future.'