EAST Lancashire modern pentathlete Sam Murray recorded her best World Cup finish for three years as she claimed fifth place in America.
The Clitheroe star, a silver medalist at the London Olympics in 2012, was making her first World Cup appearance of the season and a consistent display helped her secure a top five finish in Los Angeles.
Murray, 28, opened with a strong swim in what his her strongest discipline, clocking 2 minutes 13.94 seconds for the fifth quickest time of the day.
She backed that up with 23 victories and 12 defeats in the fencing, adding two more points to her tally in the bonus round, taking her to the top of the standings.
In the showjumping, Murray rolled three poles during her round, resulting in a score of 279 points which meant the former Ribble Valley MPC pentathlete sat fifth ahead of the laser run.
That was a position she maintained in the finale in what was an encouraging performance.
Reigning World Champion Gulnaz Gubaydullina took victory with Italy’s Alice Sotero claiming silver and Hungary’s Tamara Alekszejev bronze, adding to her second-place finish at the opening World Cup in Cairo last month.
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