Rafa Maciel

Hugs - the horse which was resulted in the elimination of Gulyas will not be used in the men's event. Splash and Freddie have both been kept in.

Women's Final - Standings After Swimming 1) Elena Micheli - 230 pts + 287 Ridings + 286 Swim = 803 pts (Quota) 2) Mariana Arceo - 230 + 293 Riding + 4 FB + 274 Swim = 801 pts 3) Zhang Mingyu - 225 + 286 Riding + 10 FB + 279 Swim = 800 pts 4) Olivia Green - 225 + 293 Riding + 279 Swim = 797 pts (Quota) 5) Rebecca Langrehr - 235 + 286 Riding + 268 Swim = 789 pts 6) Kerenza Bryson - 230 + 286 Riding + 6 FB + 266 Swim = 788 pts 7) Laura Asadauskaite - 225 + 291 Riding + 270 Swim = 786 pts (Quota) 8) Alessandra Frezza - 245 + 272 Riding + 265 Swim = 782 pts (Ineligible) 9) Alice Sotero - 200 + 285 Riding + 2 FB + 293 Swim = 780 pts (Quota) 10) Ilke Ozyuksel - 205 + 293 Riding + 279 Swim = 777 pts 10) Jess Varley - 225 + 272 Riding + 272 Swim = 769 pts 11) Emma Whitaker - 200+ 292 Riding + 274 Swim = 766 pts 12) Kim Sunwoo - 225 + 260 Riding + 2 FB + 279 Swim = 766 pts 14) Salma Abdelmaksoud - 200 + 272 Riding + 277 Swim = 749 pts 15) Laura Heredia - 200 + 272 Riding + 10 FB + 265 Swim = 747 pts (Quota) 16) Anna Maliszewska - 215 + 263 Riding + 269 Swim = 747 pts 17) Blanka Bauer - 185 + 264 Riding + 273 Swim = 722 pts 18) Michelle Gulyas - 225 pts + Eliminated (3 Refusals) + 286 Swim = 511 pts (Quota)

Women's Final - Standings After Fencing Bonus Round 1) Mariana Arceo - 230 + 293 Riding + 4 FB = 527 pts 2) Kerenza Bryson - 230 + 286 Riding + 6 FB = 522 pts 3) Rebecca Langrehr - 235 + 286 Riding = 521 pts 4) Zhang Mingyu - 225 + 286 Riding + 10 FB = 521 pts 5) Olivia Green - 225 + 293 Riding = 518 pts (Quota) 6) Alessandra Frezza - 245 + 272 Riding = 517 pts (Ineligible) 7) Elena Micheli - 230 pts + 287 Ridings = 517 pts (Quota) 8) Laura Asadauskaite - 225 + 291 Riding = 516 pts (Quota) 9) Ilke Ozyuksel - 205 + 293 Riding = 498 pts 10) Jess Varley - 225 + 272 = 497 pts 11) Emma Whitaker - 200+ 292 Riding = 492 pts 12) Kim Sunwoo - 225 + 260 Riding + 2 FB = 487 pts 13) Alice Sotero - 200 + 285 Riding + 2 FB = 487 pts (Quota) 14) Laura Heredia - 200 + 272 Riding + 10 FB = 482 pts (Quota) 15) Anna Maliszewska - 215 + 263 Riding = 478 pts 16) Salma Abdelmaksoud - 200 + 272 Riding = 472 pts 17) Blanka Bauer - 185 + 264 Riding = 449 pts 18) Michelle Gulyas - 225 pts (Quota) Eliminated (3 Refusals)

Women's Final - Standings After Riding 1) Mariana Arceo - 230 + 293 Riding = 523 pts 2) Rebecca Langrehr - 235 + 286 Riding = 521 pts 3) Olivia Green - 225 + 293 Riding = 518 pts (Quota) 4) Alessandra Frezza - 245 + 272 Riding = 517 pts (Ineligible) 5) Elena Micheli - 230 pts + 287 Ridings = 517 pts (Quota) 6) Laura Asadauskaite - 225 + 291 Riding = 516 pts (Quota) 7) Kerenza Bryson - 230 + 286 Riding = 516 pts 8) Zhang Mingyu - 225 + 286 Riding = 511 pts 9) Ilke Ozyuksel - 205 + 293 Riding = 498 pts 10) Jess Varley - 225 + 272 Riding = 497 pts 11) Emma Whitaker - 200+ 292 Riding = 492 pts 12) Alice Sotero - 200 + 285 Riding = 485 pts (Quota) 13) Kim Sunwoo - 225 + 260 Riding = 485 pts 14) Anna Maliszewska - 215 + 263 Riding = 478 pts 15) Salma Abdelmaksoud - 200 + 272 Riding = 472 pts 16) Laura Heredia - 200 + 272 Riding = 472 pts (Quota) 17) Blanka Bauer - 185 + 265 Riding = 450 pts 18) Michelle Gulyas - 225 pts (Quota) Eliminated (3 Refusals)

Women's Final - Horse Selection 1) Alessandra Frezza (Ineligible) - Tonka: As above, not a great selection 2) Rebecca Langrehr - Nikki: Had 1 refusal and a refusal with knockdown in test but twice jumped clear at Brit Champs las year so could be OK. 3) Kerenza Bryson - Arthur: As above, potentially one of the best horses in the field. 4) Elena Micheli (Quota) - Rupert: As above, not a bad draw with good chance of clear round. 5) Mariana Arceo - Layla: As above, quick but made a couple of mistakes. Could be decent round. 6) Olivia Green (Quota) - Oscar: As above, a good draw. 7) Laura Asadauskaite (Quota) - Harley: 3 fences down in the jumping test and was eliminated at the 2022 BC so probably not a great draw. 8) Michelle Gulyas (Quota) - Hugs: Potentially one of the best horses in the field with good pace and just 1 pole down in jumping test. 9) Jess Varley - Charm: Potentially one of the best horses in the field having jumped clear in the test in the fasted time. Good chance of clear round. 10) Zhang Mingyu - Jimmy: As above, likely to be regarded as a good draw with just 1 down in the jumping test. 11) Kim Sunwoo - Splash: Was a horror show in the jumping test with 5 poles down and am surprised they made the cut. Could definitely be tricky round. 12) Anna Maliszewska - Roland: As above, 2 fences down at the end of the test suggests there are better horses in the field. 13) Ilke Ozyuksel - Cruise: As above, not a bad draw with just 1 pole down in the jumping test. 14) Salma Abdelmaksoud - Freddie: Surprised he made the cut after 6 fences down in the test. Potentially going to be difficult round. 15) Emma Whitaker - Derwin: As above, was clear and steady paced in the test so can be regarded as decent draw. 16) Laura Heredia (Quota) - Prince: Was clear and fast in the jumping test, so can be regarded as a very good draw. 17) Alice Sotero (Quota) - Miller: As above, single fence down so should be able to produce good round. 18) Blanka Bauer - Jack: As above, single fence down in the test so decent prospect for good round.

Would say the men are just about holding steady rather than being on the up - but on the women's side, a lot of the players from the last Olympic cycle have retired to take up presenting jobs with the BBC so they are in rebuilding phase

So as much as I love the story of our sprinting accountant, I'm not sure that it was the smartest decision to put him into the last leg of the relay squad for the final of a World Championships when he will have had no prior experience and will have had limited time to train with the rest of the squad. I'm not saying that Amo Dadzie should not have been in the team - he did a great job getting GB into the final - but he should have been backed up by the more senior and experienced members of the squad and I think there were stronger quartets available to GB had proper management at UK Athletics been in place.

Time to talk horses.....because I've either spent way too much time looking into the Modern Pentathlon or I've pledged to help the French government out by reducing their current excess wine lake 42 horses were included in the initial line up for the Jumping Test. These will be reduced to 18 selected and 4 reserves. Of the 42, 4 were either withdrawn or failed to finish the course so will be unlikely to be selected for use in the final. Add to that, one was way faster than the rest of the field so probably won't get used and there were a fair few who basically knocked every possible pole down. So although I don't take part in any of the prediction contests, I am going to take a stab at predicting the horses that will be used for the finals Tonka - 1 refusal and 1 knock down in the jumping test. Used 3 times in 2022 British Championship and had 11 faults, 33 faults and an elimination. Probably one to avoid. Arthur - Clear round in jumping test. Used 3 times in in 2022 BC and had single pole down each time. One of the best horses in the field. Rupert - 1 fence down in test. Used twice in 2022 BC and brought down 2 poles each time so not a disaster. Layla - Quicker than most of the field so may not be selected but she brought down 2 poles, so decision could go either way. Probably not a disaster if drawn. Verdi - Another quick round, but not error free having brought down a pole in jumping test. Again, not a disaster if drawn. Oscar - Good draw - just the one pole down in the jumping test and set a good pace. Kitty - A bit slower than some of the other horses in the field, but only had 1 pole down so most riders would be happy with the draw. JB - Clear round in the jumping test but a little bit slower some of the others in the field but a good draw nonetheless. P - Single fence down in a steady pace so definitely worse horses in the field. Gracie - 2 fences down and a refusal in the jumping test would suggest this would be one to avoid. Daisy - Single refusal and quite slow. Good riders could probably nurse her round safely but equally could be dangerous. Star - 1 fence down in jumping test but racked up bigger scores when used in 2022 BC Open. Probably one to avoid if possible. Branston - a refusal and a knockdown in the jumping test - so not a disaster, but equally probably not one you would celebrate drawing. Genius - 2 fences down in the test. Not a bad selection. Jimmy - Single fence down so with good handling, could go clear. Likely to be regarded as a good draw. Roland - 2 fences down towards the end of the test could raise questions on stamina. Probably one to avoid. William - 2 fences down in the jumping test so whilst not a disaster if selected, there are stronger options in the field. Cruise - Similar card to William above so not a disaster but not the best. Roo - Dropped the first pole and then went clear so should be regarded as a good draw. Derwin - Clear round in steady pace - would be very pleased if selected. Miller - 1 fence down towards later stages of the test so could produce a decent round. Jack - As Miller above, 1 fence down in the test so no reason to think couldn't produce a good round. Clarke - Had a refusal and a knockdown in the test so would probably be one to avoid if possible.

Bianca Andreescu has withdrawn from tournament with back injury.

Don't think they planned to use Adeleke at all - even if they made the final. To be fair to her, she must be knackered after the length of her season.

How does the relay qualification for Paris work? Assume WA haven't followed World Aquatics approach by giving World Championship podium a quota?

Men's Final After Fencing Round 1) Bence Demeter 23V - 240 pts 2) Mohanad Shaban 22V 235 pts (Quota) 3) Jo Choong 22V 235 pts (Quota) 4) Zhang Linbin 22V - 235 pts 5) Mohamed Elgendy 22V - 235 pts 6) Valentin Belaud 21V - 230 pts 7) Lee Jihun 21V - 230 pts 8) Jung Jinhwa 21V - 230 pts 9) Jun Woongate 21V - 230 pts 10) Emiliano Hernandez 21V - 230 pts 11) Marvin Dogue 18V - 215 pts (Quota) 12) Csaba Bohm 18V - 215 pts (Quota) 13) Myles Pillage 18V - 215 pts 14) Ahmed Elgendy 17V - 210 pts 15) Charles Brown 16V - 205 pts 16) Roman Popov 16V - 205 pts 17) Martin Vlach 15V - 200 pts 18) Giorgio Malan 15V - 200 pts (Quota)

Spanish coaching staff have resigned en-mass and Rubiales has been suspended by FIFA. In response, Spanish FA are threatening legal action against Hermoso. Has nobody told them that when you find yourself in a hole, you stop digging?

I should have put a caveat in previous message on the likelihood of qualifying via rankings - it is still very early days (I think there have only been counting events and they have tended to favour European nations) Natalia Dominiak - Probably your best chance of quota in the women's event. She is currently ranked 22 in the world and has had a couple of good results in 2023 - 12th in World Cup Final and 11th in Budapest World Cup so the fact that she didn't make it out of qualifying at the World Champs this week is a bit of a surprise. If she can replicate her form in the 2024 World Cup season, then she should be well placed to qualify. Oktawia Nowacka - Difficult to make a call as she doesn't have a lot of recent competition experience to make the judgement on. She didn't do much at European Games (37th) or the Poland Challenger Event (24th). So I guess it could happen but I would be surprised. If you're aiming for 2 quotas on the women's side, I think your best chances are going to be through Dominiak and Maliszewska. Sebastian Stasiak - Currently Polish number 2 (behind already qualified Lukasz Gutkowski) is ranked 39th in the world. He had a good Cairo World Cup leg but had to withdraw from the World Champs during qualifying which is going to hit his Olympic Ranking but he should still be able to get himself into a qualifying position. Kamil Kasperczak - Ranked 60 in the world but hasn't really put in any stellar performances this year that would suggest that a quota spot is likely. I think you're going to end up with a repeat of your 2021 quotas - Gutkowski and Stasiak

Semi-Final B Result 1) Mohamed Elgendy - 1211 pts 2) Jun Woongate - 1210 pts 3) Lee Jihun - 1210 pts 4) Csaba Bohm 18V - 1209 pts (Quota) 5) Roman Popov - 1208 pts 6) Giorgio Malan - 1207 pts 7) Myles Pillage - 1207 pts 8) Valentin Belaud - 1206 pts 9) Jo Choong - 1206 pts (Quota)

Semi-Final B After Swimming 1) Lee Jihun - 544 pts 2) Jo Choong - 542 pts (Quota) 3) Jun Woongate - 539 pts 4) Patrick Dogue - 533 pts 5) Mohamed Elgendy - 532 pts 6) Myles Pillage - 531 pts 7) Csaba Bohm 18V - 527 pts (Quota) 8) Valentin Belaud - 527 pts 9) Eslam Hamad - 523 pts

The weird thing for me is that GB is very strong in paracanoe - they topped the medal table in Tokyo - so clearly the programme is there, they just haven't been able to attract the talent to the sport since the likes of Tim Brabants and Liam Heath retired

Semi-Final B After Fencing Bonus Round 1) Lee Jihun 21V +10 - 240 pts 2) Patrick Dogue 22V - 235 pts 3) Jo Choong 22V - 235 pts (Quota) 4) Mohamed Elgendy 22V - 235 pts 5) Valentin Belaud 21V - 230 pts 6) Jun Woongate 21V - 230 pts 7) Eslam Hamad 16V +16 - 221 pts 8) Jan Kuf 18V - 215 pts 9) Csaba Bohm 18V - 215 pts (Quota)

Semi-Final A - Result 1) Emiliano Hernandez - 1203 pts 2) Martin Vlach - 1203 pts 3) Charles Brown - 1202 pts 4) Zhang Linbin - 1202 pts 5) Mohanad Shaban - 1202 pts (Quota) 6) Ahmed Elgendy - 1202 pts 7) Marvin Dogue 18V - 1200 pts (Quota) 8) Jung Jinhwa - 1200 pts 9) Bence Demeter - 1200 pts Strong run by Vlach - 13 seconds quicker than the rest of the field and moves him comfortably into qualifying spot. Demeter in contrast was one of the slowest in the run but had enough of a cushion to hold on to last qualifying position.

Semi-Final A - After Swimming 1) Bence Demeter - 540 pts 2) Mohanad Shaban - 538 pts (Quota) 3) Jung Jinhwa - 536 pts 4) Oleksandr Tovkai - 536 pts (Quota) 5) Zhang Linbin - 535 pts 6) Emiliano Hernandez - 532 pts 7) Ahmed Elgendy - 528 pts 8) Matteo Cicinelli - 518 pts 9) Charles Brown - 516 pts

Semi-Final A - After Fencing Bonus Round 1) Zhang Linbin 22V +6 - 241 pts 2) Bence Demeter 23V - 240 pts 3) Mohanad Shaban 22V - 235 pts (Quota) 4) Jung Jinhwa 21V - 230 pts 5) Oleksandr Tovkai 21V - 230 pts (Quota) 6) Emiliano Hernandez 21V - 230 pts 7) Ahmed Elgendy 17V +10 - 220 pts 8) Marvin Dogue 18V - 215 pts (Quota) 9) Matteo Cicinelli 17V - 210 pts Not much movement in the top 9 - predominantly because Elgendy kept winning but he was just a little too far back to be able to capitalise on it. Charles Brown had a decent bonus round, picking up 2 wins to move within 1 point Cicinelli.

But if the K2 boat is made up of athletes already qualified through the K4/K1 boats or is made up of 1 new athlete and 1 already qualified athlete, then they would be able to use all three quotas?

Mary Moraa?

played really well in their match against and on balance, probably deserved to win - Germany simply weren't able to take the chances that they generated and ultimately paid the price for failing to convert 1 of the 4 penalty corners in the 2nd quarter. Although will go into the final as favourites, England will believe that if they can play like they did this evening, then they could pull of a surprise win - their last match against in July ended in a 1 all draw but the 2 previous matches in 2022 were won by by 3 goal margins.

But realistically, it is only the European pentathletes who have had the opportunity to qualify up to this point, and I can't help feeling that it puts them at a disadvantage because of the way that the qualification pathway has been constructed. We could have a scenario where there are no quotas awarded at the world champs because the top three are European athletes who have already secured quotas in which case there would be reallocation to the ranking list and so they could go anywhere. Personally I think it would have been fairer to have hierarchy of qualification - the top 3 at the worlds should have qualified and if that included someone who had already secured standard at the European Games, then that quota should have gone to the next athlete based on the European Games result.