Samantha Murray facts for kids
Samantha Murray with her silver medal at the London 2012 Olympic games after her victory in modern pentathlon
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| Nationality | British | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 25 September 1989 Preston, Lancashire, England |
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| Residence | Bath, Somerset | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 60 kg (132 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  United Kingdom |
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| Sport | Modern Pentathlon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Istvan Nemeth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Samantha Murray (born 25 September 1989) is a British athlete. She is famous for competing in modern pentathlon. This sport combines five different events: fencing, swimming, horse riding, pistol shooting, and running.
Samantha won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She also earned a bronze medal at the 2012 World Championships. In 2014, she won a gold medal in the individual event at the World Championships. She also helped her team win a silver medal that year. In 2015, Samantha became the world's number one ranked modern pentathlete. This happened after she won gold at a World Cup event in the USA. She then placed 5th at the World Championships in Berlin. Samantha finished 8th at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil.
Contents
Samantha's Early Life and Sports Journey
Samantha Murray was born on 25 September 1989 in Preston, Lancashire, England. She grew up in a town called Clitheroe. She went to Brookside Primary School and then Bowland High School.
Starting with Swimming
Samantha joined the Clitheroe Dolphins Swimming Club when she was seven. She started competing in local swimming events. Through her swimming club, she was asked to try a local Modern Biathlon. A biathlon combines two sports, usually running and swimming. Samantha really enjoyed running and decided to focus on it more.
Discovering Running and Athletics
At age 11, Samantha began training for athletics. She joined the Hyndburn Athletics Club. In her first season, she won the Lancashire County Championships. This was for both Cross Country and the 1500 metres race in 2001. She continued to run for Lancashire. She competed in English Schools and Inter Counties events as a teenager. In 2006, she moved to the Blackburn Harriers Athletes Club. Samantha looked up to British runner Kelly Holmes. Kelly's success at the 2004 Summer Olympics inspired Samantha greatly.
Getting into Modern Pentathlon
Samantha grew up around horses because her grandparents had a small farm. She spent weekends and holidays with horses. She competed in horse riding events from a young age. Later, Samantha joined the Ribble Valley Modern Pentathlon Team. This is where she started pistol shooting. She then tried fencing at a club in Bolton and liked it a lot. By doing these sports, she was able to compete in her first Modern Pentathlon.
It was at this time that Samantha saw a poster of Steph Cook. Steph Cook had won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. This poster inspired Samantha. She knew she wanted to win an Olympic medal too. Competing at the Olympics was a dream she had since she was a child. Samantha became the National Youth Champion in Modern Pentathlon for several years in a row. She also won many international competitions as a junior athlete.
Samantha took a break from sports while she was studying for her A-Levels. She attended Clitheroe Royal Grammar School.
Samantha's Professional Career
Samantha competed in the Junior World Championships and Junior European Championships in 2010. The British team won gold medals in both events. Individually, she finished 8th in the World competition. She placed 15th overall in the European event.
Team Success and First Senior Competitions
Samantha, along with teammates Katy Burke, Freyja Prentice, and Heather Fell, competed in the 2010 World Modern Pentathlon Championships. Their team finished in second place, winning a silver medal. This was Samantha's first senior competition. She placed 22nd in the individual event.
In March 2012, Samantha finished sixth at a World Cup event in Charlotte, North Carolina. After that, she won the Budapest Cup. Her first World Cup medal came in April 2012 in Rostov, Russia. She won the bronze medal there. She had been leading the competition on the final day. However, she was overtaken during the combined running and shooting event.
Olympic Achievements
Samantha Murray and Mhairi Spence were chosen to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics. They were the two female modern pentathlon competitors for the British team. Samantha won the silver medal in the modern pentathlon. This was one of the very last events of the 2012 London Games.
Personal Life and Education
Samantha is a graduate of the University of Bath. She studied Politics and French there.
See also
In Spanish: Samantha Murray para niños
