Fell hopes Euro form will book World place

HEATHER FELL rated her team bronze and finish just outside the top five at the Modern Pentathlon European Championships as her best performance of the year.

Olympic silver medallist Fell was the top British female at the Hungary event, coming with a late charge to take sixth place individually and ensure Team GB finished among the medals.

Fell’s final flourish may just have secured her a place at the Modern Pentathlon World Championships in China from September 1-7.

The Tavistock 27-year-old must wait to learn whether she has been given the nod by selectors — who would have been studying her European display closely — for the Chengdu competition.

As top Brit, Fell will not have done her chances of making Team GB’s China cut any harm, given she had gone into the Europeans under pressure to deliver.

While she did not manage a podium place individually, she will have given her confidence a timely boost in what has been, by her own lofty stands, a largely unremarkable year — so far.

Fell told Herald Sport that the pressure to come up with the goods at the Hungarian venue of Debrecen had spurred her into something approaching her Beijing best.

She said: “My performance at the Europeans was by far my best of the year.

“I came fifth at a World Cup event in Mexico earlier this year, but I am much more heartened by how I did in Hungary.

“I needed to. I hadn’t done myself justice or the team any favours in previous competitions this year.

“Maybe that acted as a wake-up call, which was good because I tend to react better to an ultimatum.

“I’ll have to wait and see whether it’s been good enough for a place for the Worlds.”

Fell, who scored 5,244 points in the individual competition, revealed her late rally at Debrecen may have cost Team GB the chance of a silver medal.

Britain had four modern pentathletes in the top 12, but a strong showing in the run/shoot from Fell changed all that, as she explained.

“I’m afraid if I hadn’t finished so well, it might have meant silver in the team event instead of bronze,” said Fell, whose points-scoring team-mates were Mhairi Spence (eighth) and Katy Livingston (20th), while Louise Helyer, although 15th, went down as a non-scoring participant.

“Unfortunately, when I came into the run/shoot, I realised that the one I was overtaking was Katy (Livingston).

“But maybe it shows, as a team, we still have come to terms with the combined (run/shoot) event.”

While Fell waits to hear if she has repaid the GB selectors’ faith sufficiently to warrant a call-up for China, she will not be inactive.

“I intend to fence at the national fencing championships in Sheffield on Saturday,” said Fell.

“The more practice I get at that level of fencing the better, although I don’t expect to bring home a medal because the competition will be fierce.

“Which is exactly what I need at this moment.”