Uni of Bath student Joe Choong produced the performance of his career at the Modern Pentathlon European Championships to secure a Rio 2016 Olympic Games qualification place.
The Mathematics student, supported by an Ivor Powell Scholarship, was roared down the home straight at a packed Sports Training Village to finish seventh in the men’s final on Saturday.
That secured one of the eight Olympic qualification places up for grabs and Choong was thrilled with his achievement.
“It’s the best feeling ever,” he said. “It’s what I’ve been trying to do for four years now and to have finally done it is just amazing.
“It was definitely a home advantage, I could hear the crowd screaming as I came around the last lap and I thought there’s no way these guys are going past me now.”
Choong went into the combined run/shoot in fourth place after impressive performances in the London 2012 Legacy Pool and the show-jumping arena.
He had dropped out of the qualification places going into the last of the four circuits but produced a flying final lap to secure seventh place.
“I can’t manage the same pace as these guys for four runs but I can do a decent one lap, so I was waiting for that and it worked,” Choong said.
“I didn’t have a weak discipline today and that’s what makes the difference.”
Jan Bartu, Performance Director with Pentathlon GB, was delighted with Choong’s performance.
“It’s more than we expected from him,” said Bartu. “He had a fantastic day, well balanced, and he showed maturity because in this combined event, top athletes are running better than him but he managed tactically to outsmart many of them and stole that seventh place.
“There is still a long way to go to the Games but I think he’s got maximum potential. Stay healthy and focused and hopefully it is going to work for him.”
Team-mate Jamie Cooke won the swim in a rapid time of 1:56.16 and produced a clean jump in the riding to go into the combined run/shoot in second place.
He was still well placed going into the last lap but got run out of it in the home straight and finished tenth, just one place outside the Olympic qualification slots.
Sports & Exercise Science student Tom Toolis finished 20th overall in a competition won by Ireland’s Arthur Lanigan-O’Keeffe. Silver went to France’s Valentin Prades and Italy’s Riccardo De Luca won bronze.
