During the Summer, Taunton Prep School pupil, JJ Wells (Year 7) competed at two international sporting events representing Pentathlon GB. In early July, JJ travelled to Erding, Germany for the Biathle, Triathle and Laser Run European Championships. In his first year in the US13 age category the standard of competition was very high, and JJ had to work extremely hard in every race.

In the Biathle event (continuous run-swim-run), JJ finished in third place, just a few seconds behind the winner from Hungary and one of his GB teammates. Determined to emulate some of his successes at last year’s European and World Championships, JJ chased down the early leaders in the Triathle final (shoot-swim-run), hitting the water first on the final lap before sprinting away to victory and collecting the gold medal. In the Triathle Mixed Relay, JJ and his partner worked together incredibly well to win the event and become European Champions. 

In August, following qualification earlier in the year, JJ also competed in the UIPM Laser Run World Championships, which took place at Bath University. This competition attracted athletes from all over the world, with particularly strong teams travelling from Egypt, South Africa and Hungary. In the individual event, JJ qualified well in the sixth fastest time. He gave everything in the final and finished in 5th place overall, helping his team to win a silver medal. The final event was the mixed relay where JJ and his teammate finished a very respectable 8th out of 16 teams.  

JJ is now focused on the new Modern Pentathlon season ahead, starting with the Southwest Regional Schools Biathlon in November. It is hoped that, as in recent years, many Taunton School pupils will enter this competition, seeking qualification for the National Schools Biathlon in Spring 2024.