Evans looking forward to World Juniors
16th May 2014
Twenty-year-old Joe Evans contests his first major competition of the year when he represents Great Britain at the World Junior Championships in Poland next week (20 to 26 May).
Evans, who is a member of an eight-strong Pentathlon GB team competing in Drzonków, won bronze on his senior World Cup debut in the USA last year, but his 2014 campaign has been disrupted by injury.
Nevertheless, he goes to Poland at four in the world junior rankings, one place above team-mate Sam Curry, who will also be in action in Drzonków.
“It will be my first big competition of the year and I’m looking forward to it,” said Evans, who finished seventh in the individual contest at the 2013 World Juniors and whose performances last year earned him Pentathlon GB’s Best Newcomer of the Year Award.
“We’ve got a really strong team this year, so we’ve got a good chance in the relay and the team events,” he added.
Evans and Curry are joined in the men’s competitions by Joe Choong, currently 27th in the world junior rankings. The trio are all University of Bath students and will be joined in the GB team by Tom Lees, who was named Oxford University Sport’s Sportsman of the Year in February.
The GB women’s team will also travel to Poland in good heart. Alice Fitton and Jo Muir joined forces to win team relay gold at last year’s World Junior Championships at Székesfehérvár in Hungary.
Fitton was the highest placed GB woman in the women's final in ninth last year and has since competed at her first senior World Cup at Kecskemét in Hungary.
Muir said: “Training has been going really well. We’re feeling fit and looking forward to it. I’ve competed at quite a few senior competitions this year, so when you go back to a junior event, it should make it a bit easier.”
Muir is joined in the team by another young Scot, Maili MacKenzie, as well as by Francesca Summers, who is currently competing at the Youth A World Championships in Budapest.
GB team for World Junior Championships
Women
Alice Fitton (Age 19, from Atherton, Greater Manchester/ lives Bath)
Maili MacKenzie (Age 19, Dumfries/Bath)
Jo Muir (Age 19, Dumfries/ Bath)
Francesca Summers (Age 18, Dorking)
Men
Joe Choong (Age 18, Orpington/Bath)
Sam Curry (Age 20, Salfords, near Redhill /Bath
Joe Evans (Age 20, Whitchurch, Shropshire/ Bath)
Tom Lees (Age 20, Sanderstead/Oxford)
World Junior Championships schedule
Tuesday 20 May: women’s relay
Wednesday 21 May: men’s relay
Thursday 22 May: women’s semi-finals
Friday 23 May: men’s semi-finals
Saturday24 May: women’s final
Sunday 25 May: men’s final
Monday 26 May: mixed relay