A good rest proved just the ticket for Kate French after she ended her six-month break with the second modern pentathlon World Cup victory of her career.
The Rio 2016 Olympian took time off following last year’s World Championships but any fears of rustiness proved unfounded in Bulgaria as she stormed to top spot in just her second competition back.
That added to victory in Cairo and a silver Los Angeles last year, with the 26-year-old as surprised as anyone to find herself on the podium for the third time in 15 months.
"I'm so happy to have won gold and it was also quite unexpected after having six months off following last season,” said French of her Sofia success.
"My fencing has been really strong in the past 12 months and this was the key discipline as it put me in a really good position for the rest of the competition.
“I'm incredibly pleased that I managed to hold things together from there in both the ride and laser run because I still feel I've got more to come, particularly in the run.
"I loved my horse. She reminded me of a pony I used to have when I was younger and that gave me confidence going into the arena.
“The riding can be such an unpredictable element of modern pentathlon so having a good warm-up is key and I had that.”
Joined on the start line by Sam Murray, Jess Varley and Francesca Summers, French and the rest of the British quartet started positively, with Murray’s 2:11.85 swim effort a season’s best.
All four improved on their times from qualifying, with French out of the water in 2:22.16, but it was in the fencing hall where she really stole a march, winning 15 of 17 bouts in the opening half of the ranking round.
Finishing with just nine defeats to her name saw French flying high, also taking the honours in the bonus round heading into the ride.
The Rio 2016 Olympian secured top spot in that discipline in the Games and showed her form again in Sofia, scoring 294 points, while Varley and Murray picked up 289 and 287 respectively, with both making their third appearances of the World Cup season.
That saw French head into the laser run in second, behind Natalya Coyle, but still there was more on her mind as she narrowed the gap to the leader from the outset.
From chaser to dominator, the Brit took the race under her wing in the run-shoot, not looking back as she held on to take an impressive win and the gold medal.
For Varley, meanwhile, her 22nd-place finish came in her first World Cup final of the season, while Murray finished just outside the top ten in 11th.
"I really enjoyed the competition, the first time a World Cup has been in Bulgaria, and I am happy with my 11th place,” said Murray.
"There’s some small tweaks I need to make going forward but it was a good end to my World Cup season and a long block of training and competing so far this year.
"I’m now ready for a short break next week to rejuvenate myself, before preparations for the European Championships will begin.
"I’d also like to say a big thank you to the coaches and support staff at the National Training Centre who help me to get these results." Pictures: UIPM
Sportsbeat 2018