Aberdeen’s Kerry Prise, 17, will take part in one of the biggest and most important sporting events of the year when she represents Great Britain in the modern pentathlon at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore next month.

The Kingswells athlete earned her place in the prestigious event by leading the British team home in last month’s world championships at Uppsala, Sweden where she finished in 23rd place.

Prise, who represents the Scottish Saltires club which her mum Trish set up to help develop local talent, will be Britain’s sole female competitor in the modern pentathlon and she’s eagerly looking forward to her trip to the Far East.

She said: “I’m very excited, but a little nervous as well. It should be a fantastic experience and I’m really looking forward to it.

“I’ve competed in four or five internationals but this will be the furthest I’ve travelled for a competition and it’s certainly the biggest event I’ll have taken part in.

“My previous best achievement was helping Great Britain win team gold medals at the European championships in Bulgaria in May.”

The Singapore competition has three elements. Athletes begin with a fencing contest before moving on to a 200m swim. They finish with a running and shooting challenge over a 3km course.

Prise won’t be drawn into making any predictions as to how she might fare in the Far East.

She said: “I don’t know how I might perform. It really all depends how things work out on the day.”

Prise enjoys all aspects of modern pentathlon but admits fencing is probably her weakest discipline while the combined run-shoot is her strongest.

Her preparations for the Youth Olympics will include an appearance in the British tetrathlon championships at Medway, Kent on July 24.

This event features the same four disciplines she will tackle in Singapore.

She will then spend some time training with the British senior squad at the modern pentathlon centre for excellence at the University of Bath before heading out to Singapore.

After the summer Prise hopes to move to Bath where she will combine her modern pentathlon career with studying for a degree in mechanical engineering.

Looking to the future she said: “My ultimate aim would be to compete in the Olympics, but I’m just taking things one step at a time.”

By FRASER CLYNE

Published: 15/07/2010