Woodbridge targeting Olympic points

Shropshire modern pentathlete Nick Woodbridge aims to take another step towards this summer’s Beijing Olympics when he competes at a World Cup event in England this week.

Telford-born Woodbridge and Somerset’s Sam Weale are hoping to become the first British male modern pentathletes to compete at an Olympics since Richard Phelps in Atlanta 1996.

The duo can still qualify for Beijing by accumulating points through their performances at the remaining World Cup competitions of the year and at the World Championships in Hungary at the end of May.

The pair have already scored well this year - Woodbridge finished 10th at round two of the World Cup in Mexico and Weale came 11th at round one of the World Cup in Cairo and 16th in Mexico.

And they will be hoping to turn on the style at Millfield School, in Somerset, with the men’s semi-finals taking place tomorrow and the final 48 hours later.

Woodbridge said: “I need to get as many as points as possible towards the ranking list.

“It’s going to be a tough competition, but it does make a difference to us being at Millfield, because we know it well.”