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Durango lad wins national pentathlon

Seamus Millett,15, of Durango, center, was awarded the gold medal at USA Modern Pentathlon Youth National Championships held Saturday at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The silver medalist, left, was Caleb Allen from Roswell, New Mexico, and bronze went to Samuel Felix, from Sacramento.

Seamus Millett, a 15-year-old Durangoan, won first place in his age group in the pentathlon Youth National Championships in Colorado Springs on Saturday.

The competition for youth ages 9 to 18 involves fencing, swimming, running and shooting. Youngsters do not compete in equestrian events, the fifth pentathlon endeavor, for liability reasons.

Teslin Stecher of Mancos, who took up pentatlhlon only this year, finished fourth in the 13-14 age group. He is the son of Marty and Denise Stecher.

Seamus, the son of Jim Millett and Jennifer Thurston, competed in the world pentathlon games in Budapest, Hungary, in May.

He competed in the 15-16 age group at Colorado Springs.

The first-place performance of Seamus was all the more outstanding because he had to make up time to win the running/shooting event, Thurston said.

In pentathlon, the athlete with the highest combined score in fencing and swimming is given a head start in running/shooting.

Seamus finished third in the first two events, but legged out a victory in running/shooting, the time of which was better than that of the 17-18 age group winner.

Seamus’s performance Saturday will help improve his ranking for future pentathlon competition, Thurston said.

daler@durangoherald.com



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