FORMER Plymouth College head boy Myles Pillage produced an impressive performance in the opening national modern pentathlon ranking event of the year at Bath.
The 18-year-old finished third overall, beating Olympian and former world number one Jamie Cooke, and was first junior man in the competition, where current Plymouth College pupil Edward Clark came eighth.
Plymouth Studio School’s Kerenza Bryson finished sixth overall and second junior in a strong women’s field, while Plymouth College’s Georgina Mitchell finished fourth in the youth tetrathlon event the day before.
Pillage put himself in a great position right from word go with a sub-minute 200m swim. That was nearly four seconds quicker than anyone else and 10 seconds than many of his main rivals.
He remained in the top three after the fencing, but just 26 seconds separated the top five going into the laser-run.
Pillage, though, kept his form as was second across the line following the combined event, to give himself a great chance going into the final riding discipline.
Olympian Joe Choong, who was battling for honours, withdrew before the ride, leaving it for Pillage, Sam Curry and Tom Toolis to battle it out for the title.
Unfortunately, Pillage had a difficult round and had to settle for third overall with 1,278 points.
Curry took the title, with Toolis second and Jamie Cooke in fourth and Clark eighth overall and fourth junior.
The women’s event was incredible tight with just 60 points separating the top six athletes, which included 2016 Olympians Kate French and Sam Murray.
French took victory with 1,262 points, Jessica Varley was second 1,246 and Murray was third with 1,227.
Bryson, who earlier this month competed for the Great Britain fencing team at the Junior Epee World Cup, scored 1,202. The penultimate combined laser-run event cost her ground in the competition.
In the youth event the day before, Mitchell was 12th after the swimming discipline, but she impressed in the fencing to move up to third ahead of the final run-shoot event.
Mitchell had a five second gap on Zoe Gowers but it was not enough and the Dorset athlete overtook her to take bronze. Olivia Green won, with Wycliffe’s Zoe Davison second.
Her Plymouth College team-mate Tomas Maksimovic finished ninth in the men’s youth tetrathlon event.