Joseph Choong

British modern pentathlete Joseph “Joe” Choong has represented his home nation at the highest possible level. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, despite being only 21, he was a top ten finisher and the highest-placed British entrant. In 2019, he qualified for the Tokyo Olympics when he stormed to victory in the Modern Pentathlon World Cup Final, winning his first senior gold medal in the process. He followed this up weeks later with another strong performance at the European Championships, narrowly missing out on another medal.

The modern pentathlon has been a fixture of the Olympics for over 100 years, but no British competitor has ever won it—something Choong hopes to change. It consists of five events: fencing, 200m swimming, riding, and the laser-run, an event that combines shooting with cross-country running. It’s not a sport for the faint-hearted, but its one in which Choong has proven himself to be world-class. He may not yet be the first British athlete to win the Olympic pentathlon, but he was the first to win the European Under-16 title in 2010. He went on to become the British Junior champion and British Open champion for two years running. At the 2015 European Championships, he came seventh, finishing in Olympic-qualifying time.

In 2018, Choong won his first senior medal, a bronze, at the European Championships. Later that year, he achieved his first silver, as part of the team event at the UIPM Senior World Championships. With Tokyo the next major event on his calendar, Choong will be looking to add to his medal cabinet.