GB Modern Pentathlete Francesca Summers fired up for World Cup Final in Tokyo
By Mark Ashenden
Last Updated: 17/06/19 12:03am
Francesca Summers will use the Modern Pentathlon World Cup Final in Japan as the perfect stage to boost her preparation for next year's Olympics.
The 23-year-old Sky Sports Scholar is part of an eight-strong GB line-up for the last event of the season and will be competing in the individual two-day competition starting on June 27 alongside teammates Kate French and Jess Varley.
"I cannot wait to go up against the top 36 athletes in the world and I'm so excited to be competing at the Olympic test event," she said.
"Being there and seeing the venues and being immersed in the Japanese culture will give me lots of motivation for the next hard year of training, to get me in good shape for the Olympic qualifications over the next year."
It is a stunning way to wrap up the campaign for Summers.
She struggled in the Czech Republic in her last World Cup event, but overall she has had a brilliant year with a sixth place in the season opener in Cairo and a fourth in Sofia.
"Prague was very disappointing," she added, "but I have been getting stuck into training and working on perfecting the things that went so wrong.
"In the fencing, I just didn't feel myself, but this is sport and I have analysed the videos and have picked up on some bad habits I didn't know I was doing.
"To become a better athlete, we need to have setbacks and there are always hurdles thrown our way and it is our job to overcome them.
"And so we move on and it's on to Tokyo for my first ever World Cup Final.
"The GB women have a really strong team so I am delighted to have been selected. It will be hot and humid so we will have to get used to that. In November last year, I was lucky enough to go on a recce trip to Tokyo seeing some of the Olympic venues.
"It's going to be great to get a taster of what the Olympics will be like. It will also be interesting for us to get a feel of the Japanese horses and see what they will be like. That's always a challenge! I cannot wait."
