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November 19, 2006
9th Place finish at the 2006 Modern Pentathlon World Championships
Greetings from Guatemala City!
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Kara rounding the final turn on the run
More photos to come
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Years of hard training finally came together in one exciting day of competition
yesterday during the 2006 Senior World Modern Pentatlon Championships. I
finished 9th, thanks to great fencing and running results which catapulted me
into my first ever top 10 finish!!!
The day began with a mediocre shooting result followed by a fantastic fence. I
tied for 2nd place in the fencing and my combined two event result put me in 3rd
place overall going into the swim. I knew very well that I would not maintain
this position after swimming (my weakest event), however with a strong ride and
run I was confident I could indeed have a top 10 finish.
I swam well for my ability and was in 18th position following swimming, but with
very close scores across the board. Toffee, the horse I drew in riding was a
good horse, but one that required a good ride in order to perform. The girl who
rode him before me had one rail down and one stop. I warmed up well and had high
hopes for a clear round, but made a costly error on the third jump which took 92
points from my riding score. Nonetheless I moved up 2 positions to 16th place
after riding and had many athletes within striking distance.
The running course took place on a combination of grass and track with many
twists and turns. The altitude also made it challenging, but worked in my
advanatge as I run well at altitude compared to many of the other women. I
gradually reeled in athlete after athlete while trying to hold off the 3 best
pentathlon runners, all of whom started behind me at various intervals. There
were many changes over the three kilometer course and in the end I could not
have told you what place I finished. As it happens I passed 10 people and was
passed by 3, thus finishing a best ever 9th at the Senior World Modern
Pentathlon Championships.
One of the many things I have done during my ten years of international
competition has been to give motivational presentations. I speak about goal
setting, perseverance and hard work, all of which I value very highly and this
result is simply an affirmation of all these things and everything in which I
have ever beleived. I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to have years of
hard work finally come together at a major event. The best news is that I still
have room to improve as I prepare for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
My life couldn't be better at the moment. Not only have I been working very hard
towards my goals and had the best result of my life, but also on a personal
side, I recently agreed to marry the most wonderful man in the world, Jamie
Whynacht.
This is a very fitting time thank Jamie, my parents Danny and Marian Grant, the
rest of my large extended family and support network, Philipp Waeffler and my
many other coaches and of course my sponsors and donors. My success is a direct
result of my hard work and the support network around me that has enabled me to
train and compete to the best fo my ability. My commitment to success has been a
long hard road, but one with amazing rewards. Thanks again to all those that
have made this result possible.
August 5th, 2006
Hello Everyone!
The summer is flying by as usual and perhaps even more quickly this year as it began in Mexico City with the Pan American Pentathlon Championships and continued with a short mid season break so as to allow me to maintain my form for the fall season without getting too burnt out. My Swing to Beijing Golf tournament also took place during this time. We had another fabulous sunny day and a full slate of teams participating with the results displayed below and tournament sponsors listed to the right of this article.
A return to training was followed by participation in the Canadian Pentathlon National Championships which took place July 29-30th. I finished a close 2nd to my Olympic team mate Monica Pinette. It was a tight race down to the last event as we both had strong days. Monica had a 27 second advantage before the run, but I'm a stronger runner so it promised to be an exciting finish.
In the end it wasn't terribly exciting as just before the run start an error in scoring was discovered and rather than take the time to figure out the medal contenders at the very least, the organizers decided to start all the competitors together in a pack start instead of the usual staggered start according to score. Everyone ran hard but it was anyone's guess as to the order of overall finish. Although finishing ahead of Monica in the run I was not able to gain the 27 second lead I needed for gold and so captured the silver medal this time around.
Despite not winning the event I was happy with my day as I had consistent strong scores in all the events including a best swim time in more than 2 years. Since the swimming has been my weak event this is very encouraging and I look forward to working on it more over the next couple of months as I prepare for competitions in the fall.
My next events will be a world cup in Cairo, Egypt September 14-17 followed closely by a world cup in Italy, September 20-24. I'm feeling very positive about the next couple of years as I'm at the top of my game and still improving and also have the benefit of a lot of experience.
I would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who has supported me, followed my career and encouraged me over the years - you are a part of my success!!
July 24, 2006
The 2nd annual Swing to Beijing - Results
The 2nd annual Swing to Beijing - Kara Grant Golf Tournament was held recently under beautiful blue skies at Dundarave Golf Course.
The Sports Center Psysiotherapy team, consisting of Colin Moore, Jeff Affleck, JD Gallant and Brodie Coffin won the mens division with a sparkling 59, the PEI Business Womens Association team of Pam Large-Moran, Elizabeth Noonan, Debby Beck and Jennifer Dunn shot 76 to win the womens division, and the UPEI Alumni team including Danny McInnis, Susan McInnis, Yousef Hashmi and Julie Scales shot 66 to win the mixed division.
During the tournament luncheon, Kara thanked all the sponsors and participants for their ongoing support, and presented lettered Swing to Beijing tournament beach chairs to all division winners.
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Womens Division winners (L-R):
Pam Large-Moran, Elizabeth Noonan, Kara Grant, Debby Beck and Jennifer Dunn
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Mens Division winners (L-R):
Brodie Coffin, Jeff Affleck, JD Gallant, Colin Moore, Kara Grant
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Mixed Division winners (L-R):
Danny McInnis, Susan McInnis, Kara Grant, Julie Scales, Yousef Hashmi
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If you require further information, please contact Phil O'Neill at 894-3024.
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July 3, 2006
Kara Grant wins Bronze at Pan American Pentathlon Championships
Friday, June 30 was a good day for the Canadian Women's modern Pentathlon team who claimed a handful of medals at the Pan American Modern Pentathlon Championships in Mexico City. It was a lot of fun being a part of this highly successful group of dedicated athletes. My teammate Monica won the gold medal and I won the bronze medal in the women's individual while teammate Katie White finished 13th and helped us capture the team silver medal as well.
The trip itself was a whirlwind and not a little stressful in the lead up days as I got a phone call at 10:45pm on Tuesday to let me know that the Mexicans had moved the schedule up a day and I need to be in Mexico City on Thursday. Houston we have a problem. My flight left Friday. I was fortunate to have to spend only an additional $871 of my hard earned dollars to assure my presence at this important event through ticket cancellation and re-booking. I also really enjoyed getting up at 4:30am to catch my flight. Ya right. The good news is that I slept a lot of the plane and I felt quite good all in all. After all it wasn't nearly as bad as when I was nearly stranded in Toronto for 10 hours before my final Olympic qualification possibility leading up to Athens. That worked out in the end (even with 5 hours sleep before the competition), and so did this. I arrived in plenty of time and even if the Mexicans didn't bother to pick me up from the airport, I did make it to the venue ok.
The competition it itself was good, but not great. It appears that I'm saving "great" for another day(s) this season, which is fine with me as I have lots of big events this fall. Good was enough for a medal this time around and I did have some great moments. I would have asked for a little more in shooting and fencing given the choice. Swimming, the bane of my existence, continues to exasperate me and the altitude of 7000+ft added another element of difficulty. The good news is I did learn something: Ignore the pain. Although it does generally hurt more, I can just muscle through it to an extent as long as I believe in myself. After all it is only 200m!!
I had only one rail in the ride and for once we riders were vindicated by slightly more challenging conditions which exposed many of the lesser riders in the field. That is to say that it rained, rained, and rained some more along with a lot of thunder and lightning. Not to worry - the horses were completely unfazed by the theatrics in the sky. Apparently this is the rainy season in Mexico City where they have an expression that goes something like this: "It's raining. It must be 3 o'clock." The riding course did become a little slippery though and the horses were able to discern the tension in the lesser riders. As a result Monica was 2nd after riding and I moved up to 5th.
As I prepared for the run I tried not to think too much about the impending pain as there was surely to be at least 11 minutes of it. Although I generally perform better at altitude than many sea-level competitors, it's still unpleasant. And, I was in a position that would require considerable effort to gain the 40+ seconds up to a medal as well as hold off some of the good runners not far behind. The first 2000m were not overly exciting as I closed the distance to the leaders, but I knew I would have to make a move soon if I hoped to catch any additional competitors. I upped my speed with about 750m to go and at 500m basically started my sprint. The last girl between me and a medal was putting in a very good effort to hold me off and I knew it was all or nothing. I caught her with 250m to go and kept going with the hope that she wouldn't have any more left than I at the end. At that point I was really beyond pain, in another world completely and just hoping the training would allow me to maintain my pace to the finish line. It did, although walking on my own power afterwards was another thing entirely. Luckily for me there were lots of helpful folks to carry me around as I caught my breath and began to feel my legs again.
It's always a great feeling to win a medal for your country, particularly at an important event like this one where extra spots for Pan American Games are on the line. With our excellent performances 2 spots have indeed been confirmed for the Canadian women's team in Rio de Janeiro next year where the America's will battle in out for allocated continental Olympic Qualifier positions.
Next stop on the Kara Grant Tour: Beautiful Prince Edward Island for some rest, relaxation and of course the very important Swing to Beijing Golf Tournament that's going to help fund some of my important competitions this year.
If you would like to take part in the tournament or make a prize or monetary donation please contact my father Danny at 902-569-4600 or by email at dagrant@islandtelecom.com
2ND ANNUAL SWING TO BEIJING
KARA GRANT GOLF TOURNAMENT
July 17, 2006 at Dundarave Golf Course
I have recently confirmed the date for the second annual Swing to Beijing golf
tournament. Last year this tournament allowed me to raise close to $10,000 to
support my International training and competition expenses. It was a great
relief to have the event go off so successfully as it will be an excellent
annual event to relieve some of the financial pressure associated with my
current commitment to excellence. Entry details will be available on my website
in the next two weeks. Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you would like
to reserve a spot!
As you can see I'm already very busy training (and fundraising!). The coming
year holds much promise and I intend to make the most of it. In addition to
competing more frequently, this year will be important in qualification for the
Pan American Games in 2007 which will be the continental Olympic Qualifier for
the Beijing Olympics in 2008. My first pentathlon competition of this year will
be a World Cup in Mexico in early March.
Wishing you all the best in health and happiness in the coming year!
June 15, 2006
Hungarian World Cup
I competed in my 3rd world cup of 2006 last week in Hungary. The semi-final started exceptionally well at the beginning of fencing and ended with an average score. The swimming went fine, but not exceptionally. Shooting was the third event and started with a centre 10. I was not able to maintain this quality unfortunately and shot a 174, 6 points below my average of 180 this year. I started the run in 21st place and at the same time as another strong runner and I put everything on the line. We ran the first 3 laps of the 750m loop neck in neck, slowly catching the 20, 19, 18 and 17th place competitors. (Top 16 advance!) Then the other girl took off with 100m to go in lap 3 and I thought that was the end of my hopes. After starting the final lap I realized she was no longer in sight. it took me a moment to realize that she must have thought it was only 3 laps since we normally run a 1000m loop! I tried my best to catch 16th place, but I had used up all the gas trying to stay with wonder woman and I just couldn't make up those final 12 seconds. It was very disappointing not to make the final, particularly when the same number of points in the other semi-final would have allowed me to advance, however such is life. I was also capable of putting together better performances and I did not do this, so I will analyze these results as well as the preparation and make some changes to ensure that it doesn't happen again.
Modern Pentathlon is the national sport in Hungary and I have to give the Hungarians credit because they take it very seriously. They are the only country to offer a relay event at a regular world cup and they were generous enough to allow us to enter a Pan American team in view of the fact that we did not have 3 athletes from Canada or Guatemala. Sunday was the big day and I was ready to enjoy myself and to have a great competition. Overall the team performed quite well and even managed to overcome what was not the best draw of horses. We began the running in 12th place and were able to pass 2 more teams in the final 500m of the 3 x 1500 relay to finish 10th out of 15 teams. I was quite happy with my contributions and left with a very good feeling and more confidence in my abilities than when I had arrived.
I'm currently taking part in a training camp in Switzerland with the National team coach until the middle of June at which time I will return to Canada to finish my final preparations for the Pan American Championships in Mexico City on July 1. This competition is important as a good performance from one of the Canadians will guarantee that we are able to send two athletes to Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro next year. Pan American Games is the continental Olympic Qualifier for the Americas and the best early chance for me to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
On the topic of Beijing.. Plans are coming along well for my Swing to Beijing Kara Grant Golf Tournament which will take place July 17th at Dundarave golf course in beautiful Prince Edward Island. Your interest and support is appreciated!!
April 12, 2006
Great swimming and shooting at England World Cup
Great news - I swam my best time in over two years this past weekend in Millfield, England!! This second world cup of the season was quite strong with 61 women competing. I had a great semi-final which included not only my impressive swim, but also excellent shooting result of 1084 and an excellent fencing result of 972. This series of strong performances allowed me to make the final 32 without having to run all out - a much appreciated luxury!!
The day of the final began well as I continued to show consistent shooting results with a 1096 score. I actually shot a perfect 50 for my second series of 5 shots (five 10's in a row!) and I hope to be able to repeat this with more regularity in the future. Alas my hopes for a great day were dashed by a lackluster fencing performance. I've been training hard and showing improvements in fencing, but unfortunately I still have days when I'm missing a sharpness necessary to my success. The winning streak I was expecting never materialized and I was left with an unimpressive fencing score.
The swim was not quite as strong as the semi-final, but still my second best time in over 2 years. I've found new hope and am looking forward to swimming some best times later this season. I drew a beautiful grey horse named Frosty for the ride and had a very nice round save one ugly jump. We had 3 rails and a few time penalties which left me in 25th place after 4 events. This long wet and cold day unending day continued through until my run start time at 7:30 pm. There was one competitor within catching distance and I passed her early on to claim 24th position which I retained across the finish line.
The busy training and competition schedule of the past 4 weeks has caught up to me and I'm looking forward to an easy training week to catch my breath and settle back into some semblance of a "regular life" in Canada for a few weeks. Among my tasks for April and May will be to gain more sponsorship, continue to promote my Swing to Beijing Golf Tournament which takes place July 17th and of course continue training!!
My next competitions are Canadian National Fencing Championships May 21-22 and a Pentathlon World Cup in Hungary June 1-4.
March 27th, 2006
5th Place finish for Kara at African Championships
Click here for photos
Once again I've proved to myself that competing in a warm climate in the month of March is a great idea. On Thursday March 23 I competed in the Open African Championships in Cairo, Egypt where I finished 5th in a field of 31 athletes. One of the key factors of my success was consistently good results in all 5 events. I began the day with a shooting score of 1072 and continued with a 944 point fence (3rd place in fencing) and a 972 point swim. Although this was not a best swim time it was the same time as in Mexico two weeks ago, so not unexpected.
The biggest difference from my competition in Mexico was in the riding event. I drew a beautiful mare called Butterfly and we had a perfect round of stadium jumping allowing me to win the riding event and move up to 11th place. The running course was essentially made for me as it was over varied terrain with lots of turns. I gave myself a little pep talk before setting off after the leaders according to the staggered start format of the running event.
(Running format: Each athlete begins the running according to how many points they are behind the leader. Each second in running is worth 4 points so if I were 100 points behind the leader I would start 25 seconds behind. This also means that anyone I pass in the run I will also pass in the final standings and of course as a result, the first person to cross the finish line is the winner of the Modern Pentathlon competition.)
I set of with a fire in my belly and 10 athletes in my sights. The leaders were out of my range, but I knew with a strong run I could move up several places. The first few athletes were passed quickly enough, but there was a gap to the next group. As I approached the 2 km mark I could see 3 more athletes within range. It's amazing what you can do when you really want something. Needless to say, I really wanted to catch those girls and I ran forward into 5th place, a very nice result which I still plan to improve upon before the year is out.
My teammates Elena Bales and Monica Pinette also had good results finishing 6th and 9th respectively and our team total was enough to win the team Gold. This is first time the Canadian women's team has won team gold at such a prestigious event during my ten year pentathlon career. Seeing as how we have yet to reach our full potential as athletes, there are sure to be some very exciting times ahead.
Two days later I competed in the Team relay with the same team, with a less exciting result. We had a good day, but not a great day as we all shot well under our level and finished 5th at the end of the day. Fortunately we picked things up after shooting and actually had quite a good experience overall. As usual we won the riding event, although contrary to normal circumstances we had only 1 horse to share between the 3 of us. It was a short course of only 6 jumps with the start and finish line inside a 20 x 10m change box where we had to switch riders. I was the first to ride so fortunately did not have to deal with trying to climb onto our friendly giant of a horse while the clock was ticking, but Elena and Monica handled it quite well and we had a perfect round once again. This experience was a nice asset in our preparation for the relay at world championships this fall.
A trip to Egypt is not complete without a little sightseeing. Team Canada had an action packed day that included training, cheering on our boys and bartering with the vendors in the famous Khan-el-Khalili market (no, I can't pronounce it and yes, there were a few small purchases made). Last but not least, there was camel riding around the pyramids at Giza. These camels (all males as apparently the scent of a female makes these calm beasts somewhat less cooperative - bad for the tourists) were of the trail horse variety, meaning that they were tied in a line one behind the other as we walked away from the stable. Our trusty guide filled us in on all the nuances of camel riding including how the locals do it (legs crossed in front of the "saddle", one foot on each side of the neck). By the time we were ready to head back home we were each given our camels' lead rope (bridles not required) and turned loose in the desert to race our camels back as we wished. Race we did, with the help of our guide encouraging our conservative camels to pick up the pace. Good times were had as my trusty steed and I stepped out. Although I now count myself an accomplished camel rider, I'm actually quite sure these well trained (self preserving) fellows would have made their way back home regardless of my directions.
Next stop - World Cup #2 in Millfield, England April 6-9
March 20, 2006
Greetings from abroad!!
The 2006 modern pentathlon season is officially underway. I competed at the
first world cup of the year in Acapulco, Mexico March 2-6. I started the day
with a strong fencing result of 880 points followed by an even better shoot of
183 - my second best in International competition! Swimming was as expected an
after 3 events I was sitting in 16th place and ready to move into the top 10
after my two best events: riding and running.
Unfortunately this was not to be
as I did not have a fantastic ride. I few mistakes on my part combined with a
very uncareful horse equaled 5 rails down in the stadium jumping course. This
was a disappointment, but not the end of the world. I was feeling very good in
the run which I started in 21st place and moved up to 17th in the final
standings.
This competition was stronger than last year and I had a better
result despite some difficulties in riding, so I can honestly say that things
are looking good for the rest of the season.
I did a short swim camp following the Mexico competition and then made my way to
Switzerland where I will be based for the better part of the next month.
Tomorrow Team Canada leaves for Cairo where we will compete in the Open African
Championships. This has often been a very good competition for me and I'm
looking forward to competing on Thursday in the women's individual competition,
as well as on Saturday in the women's relay.
Look out Egypt - here I come!!
February 15, 2006
Go Canada!!
Fitting in brief sessions in front of the television for meals and breaks has been a big part of the last few days as the winter Olympics in Turin, Italy got underway. As a proud Canadian Olympian I'm rooting for all our athletes and reveling in the glory that amateur sport is attributed during these few weeks. This time of the year is always very busy as I have very important base training to do, as well as the continual search for sponsors and speaking to youth in the school system.
I've been training very hard and enjoying improvements in all 5 modern pentathlon disciplines as a result. This weekend I will be competing in the Fundy Open Fencing Tournament as my last preparatory event before I go to Mexico for the first World Cup of the season March 2-6.
I also visited 17 schools in Moncton and the surrounding areas on January 23-27 and February 8th through the Esteem Team Association. It's very exciting to be able to share my experiences with so many of today's youth. With all this enthusiasm and practice my presentation skills have reached a new level over the past few months.
The 2nd Annual Swing to Beijing Kara Grant Golf Tournament will take place on July 17th, 2006. We've already signed up the first teams and signed on a number of returning sponsors. Thanks to Sports Centre Physiotherapy for being the first sponsor to officially sign on for 2006.
I would love to fill up the team entries early this year as well as sign on a tournament sponsor to benefit from all the publicity (Company name in tourney title and all advertising!!). If you or anyone you know might be interested in being a part of my Olympic Quest through the golf tournament, please don't hesitate to contact my father Danny Grant, Phil O'Neill or myself.
Thanks for all your support and encouragement of my Olympic Quest.
January 5, 2006
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!
I've been quiet lately as I prepared for the big transition and enjoyed a
wonderful relaxing week on the Island with my family over Christmas, but it's
done and I'm officially a full time athlete once again. I thoroughly enjoyed my
year working at the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic, but if I want to be
competitive at the next Olympic Games I need to get training! Week 1 went well
and although I'm beginning to feel the effects of the increase in training
volume, it feels great to be back. I've still got it, he,he. Not that there
isn't work ahead - there is, but I'm ready. I've kept fit over the past few
months and I'm ready to do what needs to be done over the next two and a half
years in order to peak for the next summer Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.
The best news - swimming is going well! I have new hope which is a wonderful
thing. Apparently all the technical work I did this fall is starting to pay off
as I feel more and more natural in the water (no gills yet though) and I'm able
to hold the stroke technique together when I'm tired. This really is exciting
as it could mean the breakthrough I've been working towards for years.
Fencing has also been coming along well as I am not only feeling great but
getting the results that reflect this fact. I followed up my excellent December
result with great competition in Montreal this past weekend at the Challenge
Epee d'or where I finished 2nd in a strong field. I'm also leaving early
tomorrow morning for Houston, Texas where I will be competing in a North
American Cup Fencing Tournament.
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