Dave Munnings from Newbury, Berkshire and his Border Collie, Fame, won an overall bronze medal in the large individual competition at the FCI Agility World Championships on Sunday 7th October, after competing against 145 other handlers and their dogs.
Held in Kristianstad in Sweden, the World Championships saw hundreds of handlers and dogs take part over the weekend (4th-7th October 2018), from 40 countries including Venezuela, South Africa Japan, Russia and Brazil. Dave and Fame travelled with the Agility Team GB squad from the UK to Sweden to take part in the championships.
Dave, who is a professional agility trainer, has been competing with Fame in Agility Team GB for three years, though on the team with other dogs for eight years. In March the pair triumphed at Crufts with their second win in a row in the Kennel Club Agility Championships.
Proud owner Dave said: “This is my 3rd dog to stand with me on the individual podium at the World Championships. First was Billy in 2005 who achieved bronze, then Dobby in 2010 who grabbed silver, now Fame in 2018 with a bronze medal. I just can’t believe it and feel so honoured to have such amazing agility partners to share these moments with.”
Agility Team GB Manager, Mark Laker said: “I am extremely proud of what Agility Team GB have achieved at these FCI Agility World Championships. Every team member played their part towards making the close bond within the team; I’ve no doubt that this contributed towards Dave Munnings winning a Bronze medal. Our team and their dogs looked fit, excited and well-prepared for these championships. I’d like to thank everyone, especially our sponsors for their support in making this possible.”
Agility Team GB were chosen following this year’s squad selection process, which concluded at the Performance Weekend hosted by Nottingham Trent University, Brackenhurst Campus in April. Agility Team GB attended the European Open Agility Championships in Austria at the end of July where ‘Team GB Red’ won a silver medal in the large team overall.
Ceri Rundle, CSJ’s founder and sponsor of Agility Team GB, said: “Huge congratulations to our Agility Team GB squad for their performances at the World Championships in Sweden. CSJ is a proud sponsor of the team and we couldn’t be happier with the results they achieved this year – especially Dave and Fame who are taking home an overall bronze medal. All handlers and dogs should be proud of their efforts over the weekend.”
Matt Campbell, founder of DOG StreamZ, commented: “Congratulations to Dave and Fame for their overall bronze medal at the World Championships in Sweden at the weekend. We are very proud of everyone on Agility Team GB; the passion and dedication the team brought to the competition was second to none!”
Agility Team GB is sponsored by CSJ Specialist Canine Feeds, DOG StreamZ, Nottingham Trent University, Agility1st, First Contact Agility, Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, and the Kennel Club.
The coaching team consisted of Mark Laker (Team Manager), Becky Sargent (Team Assistant), Martin Cavill (Technical Coach), Maria Johnston (Team Physiotherapist), Hana McNicholas (Team Vet), Ruth MacGill (Fitness coach/handler) and Gina Sansom (Kennel Club Senior Events Coordinator) who travelled to Sweden with them.
The 2019 FCI Agility World Championships will be held in Turku, Finland from 19th – 22nd September 2019.