RT Kit - Athlete Chat #15
Clementine Cooper
Modern pentathlon (running, swimming, shooting, fencing and horse riding)
Achievements- 5th junior athlete and 9th senior in UK British ranking list last season. 20th in German championships achieving a senior world ranking. Competed in world championships in South Africa. Recently with no competitions I have been competing virtually instead- qualified for world shooting final fighting for a podium finish on 9th September 2020!
PB’s - 13.03 run/ shoot combined event
1270 MP points
What inspired you to get into your sport?
I got into running through modern pentathlon, initially at school from the age of 15 I was not sporty at all and hated it. I started to enjoy cross country and was picked for the school team having never trained and knew nothing about the sport. After a few races I was entered into a schools biathlon (run/swim) competition where my pentathlon journey really began. I still had to learn to swim from the age of 16 and then gradually I learnt the other disciplines to make up the full pentathlon.
What does a typical week of training look like to you?
A typical week for me consists of 25 hours of training:
Monday- rest day
Tuesday- swim threshold 5:30-7:30am, run session (track/ grass), 3 hours fencing and lesson and shoot session.
Wednesday- physio/ massage, 2 hour recovery swim, 45 mins easy run, shoot session and fending drills/ rehab work
Thursday- run session (track/ laser run specific), 2 hours tech swim, shoot
Friday- 5:30-7:30am swim speed, 45 mins easy run, 2 hours fencing and lesson, shoot
Saturday- run session (hills/ intervals), shoot, fencing lesson, swim aerobic(1.5/2 hours)
Sunday- long run 60-75 mins, gym session mix of upper and lower body and core.
What are your plans for the 2021 year?
I am due to leave university and then hoping to train full time as a modern pentathlete. It will be my first year as a senior athlete and I hope to qualify for international competitions and improve my GB ranking.
What advise would you give to other athletes?
Sport has taught me so much, pentathlon is a big commitment and not right for everyone. Sport has taught me to be dedicated, to have a good work ethic and stay organised and goal driven. Training hard is effort but it’s so rewarding seeing improvement, there is nothing more satisfying than achieving a PB. It’s often hard to not get distracted by what other people are doing and how their results are, it’s a time to self reflect and to think about yourself and to not worry what other people think and what they are doing. Sport gives you an adrenaline rush that I don’t find you get anywhere else and a sense of self achievement and confidence.
About RT Kit!
Would this suit your training needs?
The RT kit is great, super comfy and I really like the colours used. It was packaged so nicely and came on time. The kit is well made and suits my training needs whether it’s for training sessions or cooling down after a session when a long sleeve top or extra layer is crucial with the winter months coming!
What were your views when the kit arrived?
The kit also looks really good on, it fits well and the colours again go with lots of my other kit which always helps!
I would wear my kit for training sessions, getting to and from training as well as gym and circuits/ drill based sessions.