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