Joe Choong: Bringing Modern Pentathlon onto the scene

Modern pentathlete Joe Choong was one of the stars of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The 26-year-old stormed to victory to become the first ever British man to win gold in the Modern Pentathlon.

It came after fellow Brit Kate French won gold in the women’s event to make it a truly historic moment – the first time a nation has won both.

For Joe that completed a mammoth journey, from – in his words – messing up at Rio 2016, to having to deal with the pandemic and all the stresses and mental battles that came with it.

Listen to the podcast episode below

But Joe is not going to let this moment pass by – it’s one he wants to seize so he can push Modern Pentathlon as a sport far and wide.

Momentum is a powerful thing after all and that incredible performance out in Tokyo could help pave the way for the next stars of the sport to come through.

It was a real pleasure to welcome Joe onto this episode of SportSpiel, as we touch on the journey to gold, the mental battles that came with it and the Modern Pentathlon brotherhood.

---

Interview: Alasdair Hooper

All music in this episode is courtesy of Otis McDonald

Images: UIPM World Pentathlon / Virág Buza