British selectors keep faith with Fell and experience

BRITISH selectors have opted for experience over youth ahead of the modern pentathlon European Championships in Debrecen later this month.

FAITH: Heather Fell has endured a disappointing season with a fifth in the World Cup in Mexico her best performance - even though many of her major rivals were absent (Getty Images)

Despite some attention-grabbing results by rising stars Samantha Murray, Katy Burke and Freyja Prentice, some familiar faces have been selected for Hungary.

Olympic silver medallist Heather Fell, whose best performance this season is a fifth place in the opening World Cup event in Mexico, is joined by Beijing team-mate Katy Livingston, Mhari Spence and Louise Helyer.

Murray, Burke and Prentice - who are ranked second, third and fourth in the UK - will only compete in the team relay.

However, it is believed they could still get the nod for August's World Championships in Chengdu - underlining performance director Jan Bartu's determination to be ruthless in his selections for London 2012, with past reputations or performances counting for little.

Great Britain have medalled in every Olympics since 2000, when Stephanie Cooke took gold and Kate Allenby bronze.

Georgina Harland was third in Athens and Fell claimed silver in Beijing, although she since flirted with retirement and admits her 2010 campaign has been lacklustre, with disputes over her training schedule and problems with fitness.

Meanwhile, Beijing 2008 Olympians Sam Weale and Nick Woodbridge will contest the men"s individual competition and will be joined for the team relay by 19-year-old Jamie Cooke.

Elsewhere, Kate French finished second at the German Open Championships in Berlin.
 
The 19-year-old was only beaten by Germany's Eva Trautmann but French's performance pushed her up to 55th in the world rankings. Team-mate Lydia Rosling finished tenth.
 
Cooke was the highest place British finisher in the men's competition, coming seventh, with Daniel Worrall eighth, James Myatt 14th and Robert Flack 17th.