Toolis set for Modern Pentathlon World Cup

Former Coopers pupil Tom Toolis is part of a young eight-strong Great Britain team in action at the first Modern Pentathlon World Cup event of 2014 in Mexico this week.

The 21-year-old from Hornchurch won the men’s competition at a national ranking event at the University of Bath recently and is competing in his second World Cup alongside former world junior champion and World Cup gold medalist Jamie Cooke, Joe Evans and Sam Curry, who won bronze in World Cup and European Junior Championship action respectively last year.

London 2012 Olympic silver medalist Samantha Murray who, at 24, is the most experienced member of the GB squad.

Murray, currently ranked 16th in the world, is joined in the women’s team by Kate French, Freyja Prentice and Jo Muir.

Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB’s Performance Director, said: “This is the second year of the Olympic cycle leading up to Rio, so the bar is rising gradually for athletes.

“They all have a lot more experience than a year ago and we expect them to show a good international standard at the first World Cup of the season.”

Bartu said current world rankings – based on results over the last 12 months – should not be considered pointer to performances in coming events, adding: “Each season everyone starts again on zero really, it’s an open book. They need to forget what’s happened in the past. It’s a new season with new dynamics.”

Mhairi Spence, Britain’s 2011 world champion, and Nick Woodbridge, silver medallist at last year’s World Championships, both sit out the Acapulco World Cup as they work their way back to full fitness following injury.

GB team, women: Kate French, Jo Muir, Freyja Prentice, Samantha Murray. Men: Jamie Cooke, Sam Curry, Joe Evans, Tom Toolis.

Mexico World Cup schedule, Wednesday 26 February: women’s qualification competition; Thursday 27 February: men’s qualification competition; Friday 28 February: women’s final; Saturday 1 March: men’s final; Sunday 2 March: mixed relay competition.