KATY Livingston claimed a team gold medal as Great Britain’s women enjoyed a successful weekend at the European Modern Pentathlon Championships in Germany.

Redcar-raised Livingston, who finished tenth in the individual competition, was part of Britain’s four-woman squad that served notice of their intent ahead of August’s World Championships in London.

The New Marske Harrier teamed up with Heather Fell, who claimed an individual silver, and Mhairi Spence to win a team gold for Britain ahead of Russia and Hungary.

“This was above my personal expectations,” said British performance director Jan Bartu. “It reflects the quality of the athletes and the coaching team, who have been very dedicated in working our way through the new system.

“It is also a good step forward for the whole team in the build-up to the World Championships. They will definitely have gained valuable experience and confidence.

Now we need to remain patient and work hard towards the World Championships.”

While Livingston’s tenthplaced finish in the individual event represented a marked improvement from her performance on the World Cup stage this season, it would have been even better had it not been for a mixed display in the final combined run-shoot discipline.

The North-Easterner, who is now based at the University of Bath, won 21 of her 35 fencing bouts to leave herself in eighth position overall after the opening event.

She then performed superbly in the pool, posting a personal best time to rise to fourth and become the leading Briton.

A strong ride, in which she incurred just 40 penalty points, left her in the bronze medal position going into the final run and shoot, but a disappointing display in the second round of shooting forced her into a number of penalty loops that eventually saw her finish in tenth place.

Fell, who won an Olympic silver medal last summer, finished second, nine seconds behind France’s Amelie Caze, who will defend her world title at Crystal Palace later this summer.