Olympic selection for Plymouth medical graduate

Kerenza Bryson will compete in the Modern Pentathlon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Kerenza Bryson
A medical graduate from the University of Plymouth has been selected to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Kerenza Bryson has been confirmed as one of just two British athletes to compete for Team GB in the women’s modern pentathlon – a sport consisting of fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, running and pistol shooting.
Kerenza balanced her medical studies with professional sport throughout her time at university, but after graduating in 2023, she relocated to Bath to join the Pentathlon GB World Class Performance programme. After securing her first individual World Cup medal with a gold in Sofia in May 2023, she won her second senior medal with a bronze at the World Championships on home soil in Bath last summer, and with it gained her Paris 2024 Olympic Qualification.
After a thrilling 2023–24 season, which has seen her secure a further two World Cup medals and rise to the top of the Olympic Rankings, she has now been confirmed as part of the Team GB squad for the Paris Olympic Games in a few weeks.

I have wanted to be an Olympian since I was a child, so I am beyond excited that the dream is coming true. I am delighted to have had some great results this season and, whilst I am overjoyed to have been selected for the Games against some tough competition, I am very much focusing on the work I need to do over the next few weeks to put myself in the best position possible for Paris.

Kerenza Bryson
Medical graduate and 2024 Olympic athlete
Normally, medical graduates go on to complete the first year of their Foundation programme straight after university, but Kerenza was given special dispensation by her deanery to defer for a year to chase her Olympic dream.
Alongside being a professional athlete and qualified doctor, she is also an Army Reservist, and hopes to join the Regular Army as a Medical Officer (doctor) in the future.
Dr Jon Rhodes in the University’s School of Psychology has supported Kerenza over the last nine years of her training, reinforcing her mindset strength. His work outlines the power of mental imagery in improving performance, using a novel technique developed at the University called Functional Imagery Training (FIT) .

Huge congratulations to Kerenza, who has worked so hard to achieve Olympic selection. It’s a privilege to be supporting her with research-led expertise. Through FIT in sport, players learn to vividly imagine every aspect of their performance, from the sights and sounds of the stadium to how they might control their anxiety in the moment. In addition to supporting Kerenza during the Games, I’m also planning to conduct some research with other coaches on sports psychology and how to train elite athletes, so I’m really looking forward to the collaborations.

Jon RhodesDr Jon Rhodes
Lecturer in Psychology

Kerenza concluded:
"I am so grateful to have had the support of my friends, family and coaches, especially those who have supported me from grassroots, such as Jon and my Plymouth coaching network, as well as the Pentathlon GB programme and Army. It was definitely a difficult balancing act completing my degree whilst training full-time and, whilst I still need to stay focused and injury-free, I am delighted that the hard work has paid off and that I am finally going to the Olympic Games."
Read more about Kerenza's journey to the Olympic Games:
Modern pentathlon to medicine and military
Athlete and student Kerenza Bryson in fencing uniform
Kerenza Bryson
Medical student Kerenza Bryson next to showjump poster
Kerenza Bryson
 
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery - Teaching and Learning