By W. G. S. D. Wijesinghe, Jadetimes news
Great Britain's Olympic champion Kate French has withdrawn from the modern pentathlon final in Paris due to illness. The 33 year old, who was ranked fifth after Saturday's semi finals, trailed the leader and fellow Briton Kerenza Bryson by just four points.
French has been replaced in the final by Germany's reserve athlete, Annika Zillekens.
"This has been an incredibly tough decision for Kate, as she had hoped to defend her Olympic title and compete in the jumping event for the last time in Olympic competition," said a statement from Team GB.
French, who claimed gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, took a break from the sport in 2023 and only resumed training last August. The modern pentathlon final, beginning with showjumping, is set to start at 10:00 BST on Sunday.
