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October 27 - 28, 2007
Kara Grant wins the Swiss Open Championship
It appears that the 2007 pentathlon season was a bit longer than I had expected.
After competing in the World Cup Final and Olympic test event in Beijing September 16, I took a well needed rest. This rest time coincided a very happy occasion in my life - namely my wedding!! The day was everything Jamie and I could have asked for and more. I'm a very fortunate woman.
I eased my way back into training in early October with the idea of doing some base training for a couple of months and adding some new elements to my regime. During this time I was also planning a week of motivational speaking to students in 15 Prince Edward Island Schools. My first competition of the next season was to be a world cup in February. The next thing I knew I was on a plane on my way to Switzerland! It sounds odd, but my coach and I decided it would be a good chance to get one more competition in before the end of the season.
This last minute decision paid off as I had my best five event competition of the year (against a much weaker field than the world cups of course) but still excellent. I shot 183, fenced 1080 (17 victories 5 defeats), swim 2:41 - which is amazing considering the amount of time off I had and the minimal intensity and volume in the pool since starting back. I rode clear with only a few time penalties and ran 11:01 on a grass course with turns and slightly uneven footing. This run was also amazing for this time of the year. We actually did a pack start in the run and I knew I had to beat one girl by 15 seconds in order to win the competition.
We basically ran together for the first 2km with her pulling ahead about 10m. Then at the 2km mark I decided it was all or nothing despite being quite tired, and I dropped the hammer and passed her like she was standing still - and tried not to look back when my body starting to scream for oxygen with 500m left, 300m of this being slightly uphill. It was a pure guts run by the last 200m and although I finished ahead we didn't know until the points were tallied if it had been enough.
In the end I won by 12 points (3 seconds). Cleary the time off was a good thing and if I prepare correctly, I've got an even better season ahead of me next year!
Olympic Qualification - here I come!!
August 21, 2007
Modern Pentathlon World Championship Results
The 2007 Modern Pentathlon World Championships took place in Berlin, Germany, August 16-21. I had a mixture of results over the 3 days of women's competition. The semi-final started a little slow with a slightly low shooting score of 173. I swam a normal swim time which meant that I would have to have a very good fencing and running result in order to advance to the final in this very competitive world championship field. I stepped up to the plate and had a fantastic fence which brought me up to 24th place before running. I would have to run into the top 18 in order to advance. I ran extremely well and finished the semi-final in 16th position. Needless to say I was a little tired the next day, but we had a rest day before competing in the final so it worked out well.
The day of the final began very early with 7am shooting start time. Unfortunately I seemed to have left my competitive edge in the semi-final and the day was not a good one for me. I shot, fenced and swam my lowest results of the year. My excellent ride and run were of no consequence at this point. I finished in 34th position. After so many good results this year I was very disappointed, however I know that I'm capable of great performances and I will have more opportunities to show this.
The final day of women's competition took place yesterday in the form of the Team Relay. Monica Pinette, Elena Bales and I represented Canada in this event. After our 4th place finish last year in Guatemala we were hoping to have a fantastic day and take home Canadas first relay medal. We had a good day with some great elements and finished 6th. We can now consider ourselves a seasoned team and we know what we have to do for next year.
Overall it's been a good week and if we haven't completely hit our stride yet we have confirmed that Canada is a nation to contend with in Modern Pentathlon and we are athletes to watch out for in the future.
The final event of the season, the World Cup Final and Olympic test event, will take place in Beijing, China September 16-17.
June 27, 2007
Disappointing day for Kara Grant at Roman World Cup
My day began with one of my better shooting results of the year, but it all started to go wrong fairly early in the fencing and got worse as the day progressed. I just didn't have the "edge" that is critical for a good fencing result. Combined with my usual poor swimming time, I was not in good position after 3 events (33 out of 36). However, riding and running are traditionally very good events for me and there was a good chance I could move up significantly. I shared my horse with a Chinese girl which is often a bit of challenge as the Chinese women have not yet mastered the riding aspect of pentathlon. The horse we drew was a reserve horse that had some stops and a rider fall in the test round. My Chinese friend managed to fall off twice before being excused (uninjured) at the 7th obstacle. Not good. My warm up went well, all things considered and the competition round had some very good points including clear over obstacle 7. Aside from a few rails things were looking good. Then I came to the absolute wrong spot on jump 9 and things got a little hairy. I went for the long spot and my trusty steed slammed on the brakes resulting in him skidding through the jump and me going for a ride up his neck and then down to earth. The good news is I landed on my feet, was back on in seconds and the rest of the course was a breeze. The bad news is I lost more points and was now firmly placed in the bottom of the pack. I was in no position to improve my placing in any way so the running had no real impact on my final result of 31st place. To say it wasn't my best day would definitely be putting it mildly. Although this was not the result I was looking for, I'm still confident in my ability to put together a great performance. I have three big events coming up and I'm going to have some great results.
I'm heading back to Canada soon for my final weeks of preparation for the Pan American Games and my annual fundraiser, the Aliant Swing to Beijing Kara Grant Golf Tournament which will take place July 16 at Brudenell River Golf Course in beautiful Prince Edward Island. There are a few spots left so if you're interested in participating check out my website at www.karagrant.net for more information.
The Pan American Games will be the continental Olympic Qualifier for the Americas and it will take place July 23-24 in Rio de Janeiro. The World Championships will take place August 14-22 in Berlin and the World Cup Final and Olympic test event will take place in Beijing in September. It's going to be quite a summer!
I look forward to seeing many of you at the Aliant Swing to Beijing!!
June 25, 2007
Strong semi-final competition for Kara Grant in Roman World Cup
My first trip to Rome got off to a good start today with an excellent semi-final competition in blistering hot weather. The thermometer was already at 30 degrees celcius at 8am this morning when we arrived at the shooting range. I used my new Morini air pistol for the first time and shot a solid 177 which I'm planning to improve upon in the final. Swimming was next on the plan and I swam my second fastest time of the year, more on guts than on any great technique or feeling. Some days you just do what is necessary regardless of feel. Today was one of those days.
Fencing was quite an experience asI have never been so hot in my life. It was 38 degrees in the fencing hall. I had my doubts in the beginning, but my body seemed to adapt and after the initial shock. I actually had one of my best fencing results of the year in a strong field. I fenced 16 victories and 8 defeats for 964 points and tied for second place in the fencing. It's a great feeling to see the training I've been doing over the last couple of years finally coming together with a lot of really nice touches in competition.
In the semi-final athletes need only finish in the top 18 of their group in order to advance to the final and actual placing has no meaning. I started the running in 14th place with a lot of people close by and since I'm one of the strongest runners in the field I needed only maintaining my position with a medium effort. This was a nice change from the last 2 world cups where a pretty significant running effort was required to make the final. Needless to say I'm very pleased with my day and am looking forward to rewarding myself with some casual sightseeing in Rome tomorrow.
The final takes place on Wednesday - I will keep you posted!
15th at Hungarian World Cup
I competed in the final of the Hungarian World Cup on Saturday where I finished 15th. It was an interesting day all around although not as consistent as I would have liked. My shoot was only just at the low end of the acceptable range as a result of pulling it together at the end and shooting three 10s for the last three shots. On the other hand I had an exceptionally good fencing result of 976 which included many very nice touches. As usual when the fence is going well, it seemed so easy. I'll try and keep the feeling for the next time.
The swim was a little disappointing as I had hoped to maintain or best my excellent result of 2:37 from the semi-final, but it was not to be as I was more tired an unable to hold the pace. I started slower and finished slower for a time of 2:41 which I had swum in several other competitions this year. Riding was interesting as I drew a huge strong horse that had minimal brakes. We flew around the course with a total of three rails down which I was extremely relieved about as I'm sure we touched at least 7 jumps. He wasn't as concerned about leaving the rails up as he was with having a good gallop.
I started the run in 22nd place and moved up to 15th with a good effort on a tough running course. There are several things I would have liked to have done differently, but some really good parts as well so hopefully I'll be able to put it all together when it really counts at Pan American Games and the world championships later this summer. The good news is that this result, combined with my 8th place in Mexico and my 14th place in Millfield, will likely assure me a spot at the World Cup Final and Olympic test event in Beijing in September.
Today, Team Canada composed of Monica Pinette, Elena Bales and myself competed for the 3rd time in 4 days, except today it was the Team Relay competition. There were 15 teams competing and we had a good, but not great day finishing 5th. With a little bit of tweaking, I think we'll have a great relay team for Worlds this year.
Next on the agenda is a training camp here in Hungary followed by a few days of rest. We will then be preparing for the last world cup of the 2007 season which is taking place in Rome at the end of June.
May 24, 2007
Kara swims a BEST time in Hungary
It's true.. I swam a best time in the semi-final of the World Cup here in Hungary!!!
This is my first best time in a 50m pool in a very long time. Needless to say, I'm thrilled.
I had a bit of a low shoot 171, fenced 876 which was not bad, and swam the best time of 2:37.15 and ran pretty hard but not all out (10:42).
Tomorrow is a rest day and Sunday is the Final.
5th Place in Switzerland
Sunny skies greeted athletes competing in Spiez, Switzerland this past weekend. This event was held over 2 days with the shooting, fencing and swimming held on Saturday and the riding and running on Sunday. I posted a good shooting score of 180 (1096 pentathlon points) but did not have the fencing result for which I had hoped. While 856 points is not a bad score, this was a weaker field that the world cup events and I missed a number touches that should have been mine. The swim was also a big disappointment as I had been doing some really good training lately. This is traditionally a very cold pool and no one was expected to swim a best time, but I was off by more than I should have been. The combination of this fencing and swimming result was a good reminder that I need to be well rested going into competitions in order to be sharp. It was an excellent tune up for the World Cup that is taking place in Hungary later this week.
The riding and running are my two strongest events and a little fatigue is normally less evident than in the other events. Such was the case yesterday and I had an excellent ride, due partly to the excellent mount I drew. We had a clear round up to the last fence where we gracefully nudged the top rail off the cups and onto the ground. No points are awarded for grace unfortunately, so we lost a few points for the rail down as well as some time penalties. It was still one of the better rounds of the day and I moved up to 10th place after four events. Situated in a vineyard beside a lake, nestled at the base of awe inspiring Swiss mountains, the running event took place in a very picturesque location. Since the vineyard was on the side of a hill, however, it wasn't nearly so enjoyable to actually run. All pain and joy aside, I had a decent run and moved up to 5th place.
Overall I was fairly pleased with the event and could draw on the weaker elements as learning experiences to tune me up for the more important World Cup in Hungary later this week. I now have two days of easy training before we leave for Hungary on Wednesday with Semi-final on Thursday, Final on Saturday, and Relay on Sunday.
I will be posting some photos from Spiez on my website later this week and sending updates from Hungary so stay tuned!
May 1, 2007
New Brunswick "Men's" Epee Champion
You can now say you read an update from the New Brunswick Men's Epee Champion and she has nothing to hide!! Ha, ha. I actually prefer to call it "Open Epee" although the format changed this year and it was not technically open, but the organizers were kind enough the allow me to continue fencing with the men. I got better and better as the day went on and had several very good matches before winning 15-14 in the gold medal match against Marc Landry of Shediac.
There are often days when you wonder if your training is going to start paying off but the days like last Saturday keep me going. I've been training very hard and doing a mid season review and clearly things are moving along in the right direction! I've just spent the last week in Quebec doing a fencing focus. As most of you know I lived in Quebec City for 2 years leading up to the Athens Olympics and I still come back regularly for training camps.
I have more good new.. swimming is going well! This is not something I'm in the habit of saying, so keep your fingers crossed for me, this may be the season I make a break for the rest of the field!! There will be ample opportunities to show this as I have pentathlon competitions until mid September.
Next stop:
- Switzerland for a training competition May 18-19
- Hungary May 23- June 4 for a World Cup followed by a National Team training camp.
Thanks for following my pentathlon career!
14th Place at Millfield World Cup #3
The strongest World Cup of 2007 took place in England last weekend where over 180 athletes from Senior and youth divisions competed for top spots. A strong performance in the semi-final was required to advance to the final. My shoot was a little lower than I'd hoped, but I made up for it with a good fencing result which included a winning streak of 9 victories in a row. I swam the same time as in Cairo and needed a very strong run in order to advance. Luckily I had learned something from my lackluster performance in Cairo and was very rested for this event. I had a fantastic run and was even able to relax slightly for the last 500m, having put sufficient distance between myself and the next challenger.
I took advantage of the rest day to loosen up some tight muscles and watch the men's final. It was nice to be able to see the riding event in advance as it was a very challenging course. This was not a surprise to anyone, since Britain takes a lot of pride in their equestrian activities. I was quite pleased as it would be a great opportunity for the better riders to take advantage and riding is traditionally one of my strongest events.
The final began well with a 179 shooting score, my best of the 2007 international season. I also started the fencing event with a string of victories. I had to work hard to keep my focus and sharpness as I was still a bit tired from the semi-final and now that there are 36 athletes in the final (as opposed to 32) we have even more fencing bouts to do. I was unable to keep it together for the last couple of rounds, but still had a good score. I was 8th going into the swim in a very tight field. Unfortunately I knew very well this would not last with my swimming ability. I dropped to a disappointing 33 after the swim.
The riding event looked as if it would be an even greater challenge as I was to share my horse with one of the weaker riders in the field and she was to ride first. She withdrew following a frightening warm up which left me a little unsure of my horse, however it turned out to be fine as the horse was extremely capable and good natured. I had an excellent round with only one rail down and a few time penalties. For the first time in ages I was rewarded by my pony club background and jumped up to 20th place after the ride. This was very exciting as it put me right in the middle of several good runners and not far off a number of other competitors. I had an excellent race and ran with a number of other athletes from the beginning, eventually moving up a total of 6 places to finish in 14th position.
I'm very pleased with this result and looking forward to repeating and improving on this at the next world cup in Hungary at the end of May. Meanwhile I'm back in Fredericton and planning the next couple of weeks. I will be competing at the NB fencing provincials in Moncton at the end of April as well as spending a week in early May in Quebec doing a fencing camp. I will travel to Europe in mid May and compete in an International Women's one day event as a tune up for the Hungarian World Cup which takes place the following weekend.
Last but not least, I will be speaking in a local school and of course preparing for the 3rd annual Kara Grant Swing to Beijing Golf Tournament fundraiser that will take place July 16th at Brudenell River Golf course.
March 5th, 2007
Great start to 2007 pentathlon season!
The excitement of pre-Olympic year is already mounting as pentathletes around
the world prepare for important Olympic qualification events that are taking
place from now until May 2008. The World Cup season got off to a good start in
Mexico City this past weekend where 28 women and 44 men competed at the Olympic
training centre located in the city centre. I had a good day finishing 8th - my
best World Cup result to date.
The women's final took place on Saturday, March 5. I had not taken much time off
after the last season and was in good form despite a recent bout with the flu. I
had a slow start in the shooting, but an excellent second half which allowed me
to have a reasonable score. Fencing was more of the same with a bit of a slow
start but a strong finish, again leaving me with a good result.
I was in 5th
after two events, but fell to 14th after the swim, my weakest event. I drew one
of the better horses in a weak field, however, I still had one costly stop and a
rail down. I remained in 14th place going into the running with definite plans
of moving up. Running at 7000 feet of altitude is never fun, however I'm
fortunate to have some kind of physiological advantage that seems to prevent me
from feeling the effects as strongly as some of the other competitors. I
gradually began to catch several of the closest athletes and with 500 meters to
go I put it all on the line and caught two more athletes to finish in 8th
position. I was extremely pleased with the result.
This is a great season opener and I look forward to improving on it in later
events. My next opportunity will be in just over 2 weeks when I compete in Cairo
at the second World Cup of the year.
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