- Joe Choong won the men’s modern pentathlon in Tokyo three years ago
- But he was unable to retain his Olympic title and finished ninth in Paris 2024
- Choong was unhappy with Team GB for not being able to select his girlfriend this year
British pentathlete Joe Choong has said he would have performed better at the Paris 2024 Games if his girlfriend had also been selected by Team GB.
Choong won gold in the men’s modern pentathlon in Tokyo three years ago, but missed out on a medal in Paris, where he finished ninth.
After the event concluded on Saturday night, Choong vented his frustration at Team GB for not selecting Olivia Green – who won bronze at last year’s European Games – to compete in the women’s modern pentathlon this summer.
Choong also made it clear that he was disappointed that his brother Henry could not face him in Paris after he had switched his allegiance from Britain to Slovakia.
“I wish I could have taken home a medal this time,” he said. “I showed that I had my physical preparation right, but mentally I wasn’t in the right frame of mind a few days ago to perform when it mattered, so I left too much behind.”
Joe Choong won an Olympic gold medal in the men’s modern pentathlon in Tokyo in 2021
But Chong was unable to retain his title and eventually finished ninth at Paris 2024
He added: ‘The saying goes ‘a happy athlete is a good athlete’ and I think that’s true. I haven’t been particularly happy with the training environment for a few months now.
‘After Tokyo I said I wanted to be with my brother in Paris. That was not possible for political reasons; he never got his Slovakian passport in time.
“And my girlfriend. I wanted my family to compete with me. That process was really disappointing. I didn’t fully understand the decision-making process. It was hard to process. It made my job mentally a lot harder.
‘I’m going away for a few months to clear my head. I need to find my love for the sport again.
‘I showed that I was physically well prepared, but mentally I was not in the right frame of mind a few days ago to perform when it mattered.’
Olivia Green, pictured during a training camp in January, was not selected for this summer’s Games
Green is Choong’s girlfriend and he believes her absence has negatively affected his performance
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Choong was asked on Saturday night if he planned to compete in Los Angeles in 2028. He replied: ‘I’ll continue for another year. I don’t want to finish ninth, I’m an Olympic champion, a two-time world champion for a reason. I want to finish on a high.’
Gold in the men’s modern pentathlon this summer went to Ahmed Elgendy of Egypt, silver to Taishu Sato of Japan and bronze to Giorgio Malan of Italy.