Kerenza Bryson (born 7 September 1998) is a British modern pentathlete. She won a bronze medal in the women's individual event at the 2023 World Modern Pentathlon Championships and silver in the team competition. Bryson won gold in the individual event at the 2024 European Modern Pentathlon Championships. She also represented Great Britain at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
![]() Kerenza Bryson in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | [1] Plymouth, Devon, England[2] | 7 September 1998||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | Great Britain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Modern pentathlon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
editA keen horse rider and tetrathlon competitor from an early age, Bryson was inspired to get into modern pentathlon when she attended a pony club demonstration by 2008 Olympic silver medalist Heather Fell.[3][4]
She came eighth individually and won a team bronze medal at the 2017 European Under-24 Modern Pentathlon Championships in Drzonków, Poland.[5][6]
At the same venue, she claimed silver in the women's relay[7][8] and bronze in the team event at the 2019 European Junior Modern Pentathlon Championships.[8][9]
Again in Drzonków, later that year she won silver medals in the individual and women's relay events as well as bronze in the team competition at the 2019 World Junior Modern Pentathlon Championships.[10][11]
Stepping up into the senior ranks, Bryson won a gold medal alongside Myles Pillage in the mixed relay at the 2019 European Modern Pentathlon Championships on home-soil in Bath, England.[12][13]
After registering successive top 10 finishes in the first three Modern Pentathlon World Cup events of the 2022 season, she was selected for her first senior Modern Pentathlon World Championships[14] but went out in the semi-finals of the competition in Alexandria, Egypt.[15]
Bryson won her first World Cup medals in Sofia, Bulgaria, in May 2023, taking gold in both the women's individual as well as the mixed relay alongside Charlie Brown.[16][17]
In August 2023, Bryson won a bronze medal at the Modern Pentathlon World Championships and in doing so she secured Great Britain a quota spot for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. She also won silver in the women's team competition at the same competition held in Bath.[3][18][19]
Ranked as world number three,[3][20] Bryson relocated to the Pentathlon GB base at the Team Bath Sports Training Village at the end of the 2023 season to train as a full-time athlete.[3][21]
In February 2024, she won bronze in the individual event and gold in the women's team competition at the prestigious Hungarian Indoor Championships.[22][23]
Bryson won her second World Cup individual gold medal in April 2024 at an event held in Ankara, Turkey.[24][25][26][27]
On 26 June 2024, Bryson was named in the Great Britain team for the Paris Olympics.[21][28][29][30][31][32][33]
The next month, she won gold in the individual event and silver in the women's team competition at the 2024 European Modern Pentathlon Championships in Budapest, Hungary.[34][35][36][37][38]
Going into the Olympics as world number five,[39] Bryson rallied from losing her opening five bouts in the fencing ranking round to end up in fifth place with 21 victories and 14 defeats.[40][41] She then finished first in her semi-final,[42][43] setting a new Olympic record for overall points with 1,402 in the process.[4][44][45] Bryson was unable to maintain her form in the final where she came ninth and saw her Olympic record smashed by the gold medal winner, Michelle Gulyás, who scored 1,461 points which was also a new world record.[4][46][47][48][49][50]
Personal life
editKnown as Kay,[51] Bryson is a qualified doctor with a medical degree from the University of Plymouth and is a British Army reservist.[3][33][48][51][52] She was named 2023 UK Armed Forces Sportswoman of the Year.[51][53][54] Bryson is also a qualified scuba diver.[33][52]
References
edit- ^ "Profile of Kerenza Bryson". uipmworld.org. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
- ^ "Kerenza Bryson". Team GB. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ a b c d e "PENTATHLON PERSONALITIES: KERENZA BRYSON, DOCTOR DO-IT-ALL". uipmworld.org. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ a b c "Kerenza Bryson closes modern pentathlon action for Team GB". Team GB. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "Jess Varley bags bronze brace as Pentathlon GB athletes impress at U24 European Championships". teambath.com. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U24 DRZONKOW". uipmworld.org. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Medals keep coming at Modern Pentathlon Junior Euro Champs as student Olivia Green and Kerenza Bryson secure silver". teambath.com. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ a b "JUNIOR EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS DRZONKOW". uipmworld.org. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Women's team bronze caps successful week for rising Pentathlon GB stars at Junior European Championships". teambath.com. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Kerenza Bryson leads medal charge as rising Pentathlon GB stars excel at 2019 Junior World Championships in Poland". teambath.com. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "UIPM 2019 PENTATHLON JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DRZONKOW". uipmworld.org. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Army Star Wins Gold At European Modern Pentathlon Championships". BFBS Forces News. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019 BATH". uipmworld.org. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Army athlete picked to compete at the Pentathlon World Championships". BFBS Forces News. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "UIPM 2022 PENTATHLON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ALEXANDRIA". uipmworld.org. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Double gold for Kerenza Bryson and first World Cup title for Bath student Charlie Brown as Pentathlon GB celebrate in Sofia". teambath.com. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
- ^ "Britain claim mixed team relay crown at UIPM World Cup in Sofia". Inside the Games. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Plymouth's Kerenza Bryson wins World Modern Pentathlon medals". Plymouth Herald. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
- ^ "Soldier Kerenza Bryson's Olympic chances boosted after bronze medal win at World Pentathlon Championships". BFBS Forces News. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Army soldier who has stormed to the top of Modern Pentathlon hoping for Olympics spot". BFBS Forces News. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ a b "Defending champions and Olympic debutants among Bath-based modern pentathlon quartet selected for Paris 2024". teambath.com. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Army pentathlete Kerenza Bryson wins bronze at Hungarian Indoor Championships". BFBS Forces News. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Golden start to Olympic year for Bath student Charlie Brown as Pentathlon GB win full set of medals at Hungarian Indoor Open". Team Bath. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Pentathlon World Cup: Britain's Kerenza Bryson wins gold in Ankara". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
- ^ "Kerenza Bryson, Seo Chang-wan claim UIPM Pentathlon World Cup golds in Ankara". Inside the Games. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ "Army athlete wins Women's Pentathlon World Cup, eyeing Olympic glory in Paris". BFBS Forces News. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Phenomenal fencing provides foundations for dominant pentathlon performance as Kerenza Bryson wins World Cup gold in Ankara". teambath.com. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Team GB announces Modern Pentathlon line up for Paris 2024". Team GB. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Choong to chase gold before change 'no-one wanted'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "A dream come true: Team GB select British Army star Kerenza Bryson for Paris Olympics". BFBS Forces News. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Defending champions and Olympic debutants among Bath-based modern pentathlon quartet selected for Paris 2024". teambath.com. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
- ^ "Pentathletes set for Olympic debuts after being named in Team GB squad". Plymouth Herald. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
- ^ a b c "Olympic Games beckon modern pentathlete and medicine graduate". Ivybridge and South Brent Gazette. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ "2024 EUROPEAN SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS BUDAPEST". uipmworld.org. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ "Army star Kerenza Bryson boosts Olympics momentum by winning European Championships". BFBS Forces News. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "Paris-bound Kerenza Bryson's individual title among haul of two gold medals, one silver and one bronze for Pentathlon GB at Euro Champs". Team Bath. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "The perfect Olympics send-off for Kerenza Bryson". South Hams Gazette. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Plymouth Modern Pentathlete warms up for Olympics by winning European Championship". Somerset Live. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Modern pentathlon: How the Olympic sport resembles the ideal skills of a soldier". BFBS Forces News. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Army reservist Kerenza Bryson enjoys strong start to her Olympic campaign". BFBS Forces News. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Kerenza Bryson shows Olympic character on day one of modern pentathlon". Stirling News. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Kate French and Kerenza Bryson through to women's modern pentathlon final". Somerset Live. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "GB's Bryson and French into modern pentathlon final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Modern Pentathlon at Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Bryson (GBR) wins Women's Semi-final A". uipmworld.org. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Army reservist Bryson aiming for medal as she heads into final at Paris Olympics". BFBS Forces News. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "GB's Bryson misses medal after ill French withdraws". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "Modern pentathlon: Michelle Gulyas claims world record gold after Kate French pulls out, Kerenza Bryson finishes ninth". Eurosport. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Kerenza Bryson turns thoughts to junior doctor job after Paris baptism". Yahoo Sport. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "No medal but huge pride as Army reservist Bryson finishes ninth in Paris Olympics". BFBS Forces News. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "Olympian says more to life than sport and medals after missing out in Paris". Plymouth Live. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "Army athletes going for gold at Paris Olympics". British Army. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Kerenza Bryson: Five things you should know about me". Team GB. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
- ^ "2024 UKAF Sports Awards: Top military athletes celebrated in ceremony in London". BFBS Forces News. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ "Athletes in the Armed Forces: Five talented people to watch out for in 2024". BFBS Forces News. Retrieved 2024-06-26.