Sky Scholar Francesca Summers shines in Modern Pentathlon selection event in Bath

Thrown off a horse, busting a gut in a 3K run, swimming 200m, shooting and fighting with an epee are all part of being a Modern Pentathlete.

Francesca Summers has spent the winter balancing her studies in Paris with brushing up on some of these skills at tournaments around Europe.

But now it's time for the serious business for the 21-year-old Sky Sports Scholar as a new season gets under way....

"It's an exciting time of year for us Modern Pentathletes with selections for all the competitions - from the internationals to World Cups.

I recently had my first selection event of the year. It's an important competition but I still use it as a run-out and a chance to dust off the cobwebs and to see where you are and how the training is paying off.

The selections for GB's Modern Pentathlon team are at the National Training Centre in Bath. All the facilities needed for the five events are all on one site, except the horse riding. It's just a superb sporting environment.

A selection competition consists of all five sports from the Modern Pentathlon.

Fencing is first and it's the first to get two hits on your opponent (normally in a big competition it is only one hit). There are less competitors at a domestic event compared to a World Cup or Championship competition and we have one minute to score a hit.

Fencing is my favourite discipline because you can take points away from your opponent and gain points for yourself and it's the only part of Modern Pentathlon where you can directly affect your opponent's score.

Over the winter season I've been working on several areas in fencing and I'm pleased they are heading in the right direction. I finished the fence with the highest score with 23 victories and five defeats.

One event down and four more to go....

I was happy to be ahead on the leaderboard at that stage, but a Modern Pentathlon is a sport where anything can happen and usually does!

It was off to the swimming pool for quick warm-up before completing the 200m swim. This is my weakest discipline and so I'm always happy when it's finished!

Because I'm still studying for my fashion degree I'm still sacrificing some of my swim sessions, so as expected my race time was a few seconds off where I normally am.

When I graduate in May, the swimming miles will increase so that's an area I'll be looking to improve in.

I was exhausted and it was only two events gone but I was still leading the competition which is always a good sign with my weakest event out of the way.

Out of the pool, it was time to put on our long sleeves and winter leggings and head out to brave the cold for the Combined event - now called the Laser Run - which is the run-and-shoot element.

Checking the sights and using the guns in warm-up gives us a chance to practise shooting in a new environment. You have to try to shoot down five targets as fast as you can, do an 800m run and then come back into the shooting range and complete another five shots.

This is done four times so 4 x 5 shots and 4 x 800 runs. I started the Combined in first position and dropped to third but I was still satisfied as I was up against full-time athletes and I'm still a student and part-time athlete up until May.

So I was a happy Francesca! Three events down, two to go....

Multi-disciplined events are tough but as you progress through the day there is a certain relief to be nearing the finish line.

It was time to refuel and head to the riding arena, where there was a course set up with 12 jumps, including spreads, double and triple jumps.

We are given a specific time to walk and memorise the course and then we're allocated a horse and have to complete the round of jumps in a given time, trying not to knock any poles down or have any refusals.

Each mistake deducts points, so the cleaner the round, the better you score.

I had an unfortunate fall in the riding, but still completed the round, which dropped me to fourth.

Horses are really unpredictable but I still tend to trust them and think they will be nice! Sometimes they won't be so nice back!

They do feel and sense what a person feels but it's tough because you're riding an animal you've never met. I do need to learn to be more firm with them.

Overall, I was happy with my first competition of the year and I have several areas to work on. The hard work starts in May with the bigger events, but I am really looking forward to it already. Bring it on!