Freyja Prentice enhanced her Olympic chances by becoming the first British women to reach the qualifying standard.
Prentice first woman to achieve Olympic qualifying standard
Great Britain's Freyja Prentice jumped into pole position to grab one of just two places in next year's Olympics by becoming the first British woman to achieve the qualifying standard.
Prentice emulated team-mate Jamie Cooke by achieving the qualifying standard for the London Olympics at the modern pentathlon European Championships in Kent.
The 21-year-old Scot climbed from 12th to eighth on the final event, the combined run and shoot, to clinch the penultimate qualification spot at Medway Park.
With the strength of the British team and only two women allowed to represent the hosts next year, Prentice is not yet assured of a place at the Games, but she is the first woman to qualify.
"I'm so happy," she said. "The pressure that's on the Brits at the moment to get those places is immense.
"I started off the day well. I let myself down completely in the riding but I managed to do it. My shooting didn't help matters but my run saved the day."
Competition
The Inverurie athlete knows she cannot afford to count her chickens yet, though, with Spence and Fell in particular major threats after World Cup medal-winning performances this season.
"Everyone's congratulating me but there's a lot of competitions left and a lot of places up for grabs," she added. "And the standard of our girls we could easily go and win the next few major championships, and then it's back to square one again. But I'm heading in the right direction."
For Pentathlon GB performance director Jan Bartu it was a mixed day with a silver lining.
He said: "It was blood, sweat and tears. They felt the pressure on their shoulders throughout. You could see it in the fencing, they did everything they could in the pool, none of them rode well but it's a happy ending."
"We said at the beginning of the season this would be the ultimate test for us. We have to prepare for the Games. I can't imagine it is going to be any easier in London. They need to look at themselves objectively and just move on."
Cooke qualifies
Cooke, 20, finished a superb fourth yesterday in his first European final.
There was, though, disappointment for Beijing silver medallist Heather Fell, Mhairi Spence and Katy Burke, who all struggled on the show jumping phase.
The event was won by reigning Olympic champion Lena Schoneborn of Germany ahead of Hungary's Adrienn Toth and Victoria Tereshuk of the Ukraine.
Because Schoneborn had already achieved the Olympic standard courtesy of her gold medal at the recent World Cup Final, ninth place also earned an Olympic spot, which went to Russia's Ekaterina Khuraskina.
