Plymouth College pentathletes Denton and Mitchell finish in world’s top 20

PLYMOUTH College pentathletes Annabel Denton and Georgina Mitchell both claimed top 20 finishes at the Under-19 World Championships in Sofia.

Denton came ninth and won a team bronze medal with Great Britain, while Mitchell finished 19th, which was her best placing at a major under-19 championships.

The competition started in the pool and Mitchell led the British charge, recording a time of 2:21.00, while 16-year-old Denton, the youngest member of the GB under-19 team, clocked 2:24.75.

Mitchell, 18, also excelled in the fencing hall, scoring 27 victories and just eight defeats from her 35 bouts, which was only bettered by Russia’s Yana Soloveva. Denton finished with 20 victories and 15 defeats to her name.

In the bonus fencing round, Denton adding two points to her score and Mitchell won extra round to end a positive morning on a high.

It meant Mitchell sat second overall in the standings with the laser-run to come. Denton was ninth, with GB team-mates Emma Whitaker and Sarah Wilson, 16th and 23rd, respectively, in a closely-fought competition.

Some strong running from Denton helped her maintain her ninth-placed position. Behind her, another blistering run-shoot display from Wilson saw her make significant ground as she crossed the line 13th, while Whitkaker also produced a strong laser-run as she came home 15^th, with Mitchell crossing the line 19th to make it all four Brits inside the top 20.

Afterwards Denton tweeted: “Top 10 finish and team bronze at the World Championships, very happy with my results.”