Samantha Murray
{{short description|English modern pentathlete}}
{{for|the tennis player|Samantha Murray Sharan}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
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| name = Samantha Murray
| image = Samantha Murray.jpg
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| caption = Samantha Murray with her silver medal at the London 2012 Olympic games after her victory in modern pentathlon
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| nationality = British
| residence = Bath, Somerset
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1989|9|25|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Preston, Lancashire, England
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| height = {{convert|1.74|m|0|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|60|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}
| website =
| country = {{GBR}}
| sport = Modern Pentathlon
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| coach = Istvan Nemeth
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{{MedalSport | Women's modern pentathlon }}
{{MedalCountry | {{GBR2}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | Olympic Games }}
{{MedalSilver | 2012 London | Women's }}
{{MedalCompetition | World Championships }}
{{MedalGold | 2012 Rome | Team }}
{{MedalGold | 2013 Kaoshiung | Team }}
{{MedalGold | 2014 Warsaw | Individual }}
{{MedalSilver | 2010 Chengdu | Team }}
{{MedalSilver | 2014 Warsaw | Team }}
{{MedalSilver | 2016 Moscow | Relay }}
{{MedalBronze | 2012 Rome | Individual }}
{{MedalCompetition | European Championships }}
{{MedalGold | 2013 Drzonkow |Team relay }}
{{MedalGold | 2013 Drzonkow |Team }}
{{MedalGold | 2015 Bath |Team }}
{{MedalBronze | 2016 Sofia |Team }}
{{MedalCompetition | World Cup }}
{{MedalGold | 2015 Sarasota|Individual }}
{{MedalBronze | 2012 Rostov |Individual }}
{{MedalCompetition | Junior World Championships }}
{{MedalGold | 2010 Szekesfehervar | Team }}
{{MedalCompetition | Junior European Championships }}
{{MedalGold | 2010 Golega | Team }}
}}
Samantha Murray (born 25 September 1989) is an English modern pentathlete. She won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and the bronze medal at the 2012 World Championships. In 2014, she won individual gold and team silver medals at the 2014 World Championships. In 2015, Murray reached world number #1 in the Modern Pentathlon World Rankings after taking Gold at the USA World Cup followed by a 5th place at the Berlin World Championships. Murray finished in 8th Place at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil.
Early life
Murray was born on 25 September 1989 in Preston, Lancashire.{{cite news |title=Samantha Murray |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/Team-GB/competitors/8662424/Samantha-Murray-Team-GB-London-2012-Olympics.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613034951/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/Team-GB/competitors/8662424/Samantha-Murray-Team-GB-London-2012-Olympics.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 June 2012 |accessdate=11 July 2012 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}} Murray grew up in Clitheroe and attended Brookside Primary School, and then Bowland High School in Grindleton. Murray joined Clitheroe Dolphins Swimming Club at the age of 7, and began competing in local galas. It was through the swimming club that she was asked to try a local Modern Biathlon. She instantly took to running and decided to pursue running at higher level.
She started training for athletics at the age of 11, joining Hyndburn Athletics Club, and went on to win the Lancashire County Championships for Cross Country and 1500 metres in her first season as an Under 13 in 2001. She continued running for Lancashire and competed at English Schools and Inter Counties throughout her teen years. She moved to Blackburn Harriers Athletes Club in 2006, after a period of difficulty with her running career. Her hero was British middle distance runner Kelly Holmes, and she was inspired by her success at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
From birth, Murray was around horses as her grandparents have a small farm in Longton, Lancashire. She spent weekends and school holidays with the horses and competed from an early age at Longton Riding Club. She rode for the club at Riding Club events. Murray joined Ribble Valley Modern Pentathlon Team and began pistol shooting. She then was taken to a fencing club in Bolton and enjoyed the sport. By doing this she was able to compete in her first Modern Pentathlon.
It was here where she saw a poster of Steph Cook winning the Gold Medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Murray was inspired by the poster and knew that she wanted an Olympic Medal. She had a childhood dream of competing at the Olympics. Murray went on to become National Youth Champion in Modern Pentathlon for consecutive years. She won a host of international competitions as a Junior including the Olympic Hopes Competition.
Murray had a period of time out of sport whilst studying for her A-Levels. at CRGS sixth form.
Career
She competed at the Junior World Championships and Junior European Championships in 2010, where the British team won gold in both events. Individually, she finished 8th in the World competition and 15th overall in the European event.{{cite web|title=Athlete Profile: Samantha Murray |url=http://pentathlon.org/component/uipm/athleteprofile/pentathlete/4637-samantha-murray?q=/component/uipm/athleteprofile/pentathlete/4637-samantha-murray |publisher=Pentathlon.org |accessdate=11 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731180856/http://www.pentathlon.org/component/uipm/athleteprofile/pentathlete/4637-samantha-murray?q=%2Fcomponent%2Fuipm%2Fathleteprofile%2Fpentathlete%2F4637-samantha-murray |archivedate=31 July 2012 }}{{cite web |title=Junior European Championships 2010 |url=http://www.pentathlon.org/component/uipm/results/pentathlon/765-junior-european-championships |publisher=Pentathlon.org |accessdate=11 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130415183539/http://www.pentathlon.org/component/uipm/results/pentathlon/765-junior-european-championships |archivedate=15 April 2013 }} The team of Murray, Katy Burke, Freyja Prentice and Heather Fell also competed in the 2010 World Modern Pentathlon Championships, where they placed overall in second place, winning the silver medal. Murray placed in 22nd position in the individual competition in her first senior competition.{{cite news |title=Britain win silver at pentathlon World Championships |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/modern_pentathlon/8969089.stm |accessdate=11 July 2012 |newspaper=BBC Sport |date=4 September 2010}}{{cite news |title=China trio to make world bow |url=http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/China-trio-make-world-bow/story-11328939-detail/story.html |accessdate=11 July 2012 |newspaper=this is Bath |date=26 August 2010}}
Murray finished in sixth place at the World Cup event in Charlotte, North Carolina, in March 2012.{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Ollie |title=Mhairi Spence wins World Cup silver in United States |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/17329952 |accessdate=11 July 2012 |newspaper=BBC Sport |date=12 March 2012}} Following that she competed in the Budapest Cup where she was victorious.{{cite news |title=Samantha Murray claims modern pentathlon win in Hungary |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/17504614 |accessdate=11 July 2012 |newspaper=BBC Sport |date=25 March 2012}} Her first World Cup medal came in Rostov, Russia, in April 2012, when she won the bronze medal behind Anastasiya Prokopenko and Victoria Tereshchuk. She had been leading going into the final day, but was overtaken during the run/shoot.{{cite news |title=Samantha Murray claims modern pentathlon bronze in Russia |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/modern-pentathlon/17801589 |accessdate=11 July 2012 |newspaper=BBC Sport |date=21 April 2012}}
Along with Mhairi Spence, she was named to the British team at the 2012 Summer Olympics as the two female modern pentathlon competitors,{{cite news |title=London 2012: Mhairi Spence heads modern pentathlon team |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18368140 |accessdate=11 July 2012 |newspaper=BBC Sport |date=8 June 2012}} and won the silver medal in the last event of the games.{{cite news |title=Olympics modern pentathlon: Samantha Murray wins silver |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18908843 |accessdate=20 September 2012 |newspaper=BBC Sport |date=12 August 2012}}
Personal life
She is a graduate of the University of Bath where she studied Politics and French.{{cite web |title=Samantha Murray |date=11 April 2011 |url=http://www.teambath.com/2011/04/11/samantha-murray/ |publisher=Team Bath |accessdate=11 July 2012}}
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Samantha}}
Category:British female modern pentathletes
Category:Alumni of the University of Bath
Category:Modern pentathletes at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic modern pentathletes for Great Britain
Category:Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain
Category:Olympic medalists in modern pentathlon
Category:Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Category:Sportspeople from Clitheroe
Category:World Modern Pentathlon Championships medalists