TAVISTOCK'S Kate Allenby has earned selection for the forthcoming pentathlon European Championships after winning in only her second competition of the year.
The Olympic women's modern pentathlon bronze medallist triumphed in the International German Championships in Berlin last weekend. Her previous individual event this year was the recent World Cup in Bath, where she marked her return from a shoulder injury by coming fourth.
Those two performances have earned Kate, 27, a place in the British team for the Euro-pean Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, starting on June 18.
However, she is one of four Britons vying for three individual places, along with world number one Georgina Harland, Olympic champion Stephanie Cook and the fast-rising Sian Lewis.
The odd one out must be content with competing in the relay event.
Kate, the British number one for six years until the Sydney Olympics, remained pragmatic about her chances.
'My season has only just started, while the other girls have already completed the World Cup season,' said Kate from the British training camp in Hungary.
'I'm still finding my feet, but I'm feeling good and I'll treat the European Championships as the major event it is.'
Kate was a comfortable winner in Berlin last weekend. In a field which included Germany's former world number one Kim Raisner, Kate took the lead after the third discipline —swimming. After stretching her advantage in the riding, she comfortably defended her lead in the concluding 3,000m run.
'I was really pleased, it was a good competition for me,' added Kate, whose main goal this year is the World Championships in Millfield next month.
'The standard of competition wasn't as high as a World Cup, and I did what I had to do.
'I just want to put out five successive decent scores now, that's all I'm lacking.'