BASINGSTOKE teenager Bradley Sutton has been selected for the Senior Modern Pentathlon European Championships in Minsk which starts on July 18.

It is a great achievement for the 18-year-old from Hatch Warren being part of the 12 Pentathlon GB team.

Sutton, is still a junior and will be taking part in the men’s relay.

He continued his excellent season as he marked his Junior European Modern Pentathlon Championship debut by being placed 33rd in Barcelona.

Sutton, moved to the Pentathlon GB’s training Centre at the University of Bath in September, put up a good fight during the competition in which he was one of the youngest in the field.

He was the only Brit to qualify from his semi-final, Sutton got off to a dream start in the final with a personal best swim in 1min 56.35secs.

This was the second quickest of the day and in fencing he picked up 11 victories and 24 defeats to leave him placed 28th.

On his allocated horse Paradose, Sutton finished second in the Junior Men’s event at the British Modern Pentathlon Championships earlier in the month, knocking down just a single fence.

This secured him 293 points and moved Sutton up four places ahead of the laser run. The former Wessex Wyvern member, concluded his final with a time of 12mins 19.52secs.

Sutton then teamed up with Myles Pillage for the relay and the pair produced a storming swim, as they led the second placed Hungarian by seven seconds.

The duo started the fencing in form and in the end the pair had slipped to seventh in the standings.

The ride phase showed how Modern Pentathlon cane be such a roller coaster ride. Sutton went clear, but as he entered the change over box, Pillage’s horse took umbrage, reared and unseated him.

Despite landing on his back on a flower pot, the Brit got back on the horse, but they were now down in tenth.

The laser run saw Sutton on his second shoot achieve five out of green lights, but the Brits had to settle for tenth.