Falington School – Gabriella Eltham Modern Pentathlete
21 Jun 2016
Inspired by winning her first GB vest, Farlington School’s Gabriella Eltham has her sights on more International competition. The fifteen-year-old has been selected to join Pentathlon GB’s talent programme which aims to develop young athletes with podium potential.
Sports Scholar Gabriella is training to compete in the modern pentathlon which comprises five diverse sports: swimming, fencing, riding, running and laser target shooting. Each discipline is held separately, apart from the running and shooting, which are held together in a challenging combined event.
Competitors gain modern pentathlon points across each discipline, resulting in a handicapped start for the final competition – the combined event. The winner of the competition is simply the first person to cross the finish line. This makes the event more exciting for spectators but increases the pressure on the pentathletes as they try to reduce their heart rates for the target shooting.
Gabriella gained a place on the Pathway Programme after she was scouted at a biathlon competition last year. This earnt her an invitation to attend a two-day Talent Identification camp at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire where she underwent a series of demanding athletics tests the results of which were plotted against the performances of current GB international pentathletes that took the same tests when they were 15. From there she was selected for the World Class Talent Programme.
The Pentathlon GB training programme includes shooting training every week at Medway Park, Kent, athletics at Broadbridge Heath, fencing at Farlington and Crawley, swimming at The Pavilions, Horsham and K2, Crawley. This averages 22 hours a week. At Easter, she travelled with nine other Team GB young pentathletes for a week-long training camp to Portugal. This entailed two swims a day for four hours and two combined sessions of running and shooting. The week culminated in the team competing at the Portugal National Triathlon in Leiria where she finished 6th.
As a keen biathlete, she is confident in her swimming and running ability and in March won the silver medal at the British Schools Championships held at the National Sports Centre, Crystal Palace, but this is her first season laser shooting and fencing. However, she is enjoying being able to incorporate her horse riding into her chosen sport.
Sara Whittaker, Director of PE and Games at Farlington School, said, “Gabriella is a fantastic athlete with a great attitude and lots of potential. To be selected to train at this national, elite level is a major achievement.
“We are very proud of her at Farlington. As a Sports and Academic Scholar, she is a great role model to the other students. I’m sure she will make the most of this opportunity.”
Background for Editors:
Farlington educates for confidence; the girls are happy, successful individuals. It is an excellent independent girls’ day and boarding school located just outside Horsham, on the West Sussex/Surrey border. Farlington provides an excellent all-round education for up to 400 girls aged 3-18 with a co-educational Nursery.
www.farlingtonschool.net