Physical Education/PSHE KS2 & KS3: How Samantha Murray became a silver medal-winning pentathlete

BBC Teach > Primary Resources / Secondary Resources > KS2 Physical Education / KS3 Physical Education > KS2 PSHE / KS3 PSHE > Olympic Spark: Fire Up Your Future

SAMANTHA MURRAY: My name is Samantha Murray and I am a modern pentathlete.

SAMANTHA MURRAY: The earliest memory I have is riding my tricycle when I was about four years old.

SAMANTHA MURRAY: 'My mum and my grandma were just good female role models.' I look at my early years growing up on the farm. That shaped me and that made me ready for things to be thrown at me.

SAMANTHA MURRAY: I was a member of the Brownies and we had a swimming gala. 'I hadn't had many swimming lessons but I got in the pool 'and my arms spun about as fast as possible and I got to the other end 'and I won the race

SAMANTHA MURRAY: 'and my mum said that Brown Owl literally went GASPS 'cause she couldn't believe it, that I'd just kind of 'got some rocket hidden up my costume or something.' I think it was obvious then that I wasn't just full of energy in trouble and pretty gutsy girl.

SAMANTHA MURRAY: I was also really competitive and I liked the competitive environment.

SAMANTHA MURRAY: I was going to the swimming club, was into running, 'loved the horses and horse riding

SAMANTHA MURRAY: 'and the running coach said you know if you come fencing with us, 'you can do a pentathlon at the end of summer 'and I loved it.'

SAMANTHA MURRAY: And then at the awards ceremony at the end of the day there was a poster of a woman crossing a finish line, 'really muscular like strong looking woman.

SAMANTHA MURRAY: 'That lady is called Dr. Steph Cook 'and she won the gold medal in the modern pentathlon 'at the Sydney Olympics' and then that was it, she was like my inspiration.

SAMANTHA MURRAY: I remember my mum sent me this letter. 'She said on the front open this when you feel like you most need it 'and inside she'd put in pictures of me when I was a little girl' at the farm just messing about and it-- It was like... Just 'cause I'm going to the Olympics and doing my dream, I'm still me.

COMMENTATOR: 'Samantha Murray. 'Quite a surprise to some people. 'So many highly ranked women modern pentathletes in this country.'

SAMANTHA MURRAY: 'The fencing for me was like, if I could do a good score 'I'd definitely be able to make the podium 'and I think that's why, walking into the hall, I was really scared.

COMMENTATOR: 'Sam doesn't want to be rushed into doing something that she might regret 'but she gets that touch.'

SAMANTHA MURRAY: 'Next we went to the swimming pool and I felt a little bit drained 'bit tired.'

STARTER: Take your marks.

CHEERING

SAMANTHA MURRAY: 'I came second in the swim' and this is when we knew that we were rocking and rolling and there was a medal that was possibly gonna come. 'It was the riding next. So nerve-racking.

SAMANTHA MURRAY: '24,000 people watching you on a horse' and then I thought "No, Samantha come on, focus. Ride!" And then I was like, "OK right turn to the next fence."

COMMENTATOR: 'Two fences down and twenty time faults as well.'

SAMANTHA MURRAY: 'I got through the riding 'and I was kind of in fourth place after the ride 'and then we were going into the combined event, the run and shoot.

SAMANTHA MURRAY: 'I'm ready to run but at the same time, I'm ready to pick up my pistol. 'So it's all about combining precision with power and speed.

SAMANTHA MURRAY: 'which is quite difficult to do 'and so every time I hit the target 'the crowd would chant' "One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Waheey!"

SAMANTHA MURRAY: 'and that really lifted me and kept me really, really fighting.'

COMMENTATOR: 'And when she re-enters the arena here in Greenwich 'you'll hear the crowd roar her home. 'It's going to be a silver medal for Great Britain. 'Samantha Murray 22 years old, a true Lancashire lass.'

SAMANTHA MURRAY: 'Crossed the line and yeah I'd done it.' I got what I came for. I got the medal and it's like, gonna be here forever. For the rest of time, that it's mine.

SAMANTHA MURRAY: Don't limit your opportunities. Don't do something just because your friend's doing it or because it's cool or because it's easy.

SAMANTHA MURRAY: Do something that motivates you, and actually somewhere inside you really inspires you and makes you feel excited.

The story of how Samantha Murray became a silver medal winner in the modern pentathlon at the London 2012 Olympics.

Samantha recalls key events and experiences from her childhood that made her the athlete she is today.

As a child, Samantha loved horses and rode them on the family farm, she had loads of energy, and was good at running and sport too.

Citing her mum and grandma as "good, solid role models," Samantha always sensed she had a competitive spirit.

However, it wasn't until she entered a Brownie swimming race, before she could even really swim, and actually won, that she realised that she could harness her natural talent and ambition in a more serious way.

When Samantha's running coach suggested she take up fencing too, it became clear that she could handle more than one sport, and her career as a modern pentathlete was born.

With animation, family photos and Olympic footage to illustrate her journey, Samantha explains that she’ll always feel like the little girl she once was, and she’s still the same person but that "if you try really, really hard at something – you can go a long way."

This clip is from the series Olympic Spark: Fire Up Your Future.

Teacher Notes

This clip could be used to discuss the importance of key skills such as patience, determination, competition and resilience.

A pre-clip discussion about what the modern pentathlon is and what skills would be needed could help set the scene.

An individual task could follow, where students reflect on their own qualities and aspirations.

Curriculum Notes

This clip is suitable for teaching Physical Education and PSHE at KS2 and KS3 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and and 2nd, 3rd and 4th Level in Scotland.