Last year, Joe Choong MBE qualified for the final of the modern pentathlon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, having previously become the modern pentathlon champion in Tokyo in 2021, which saw him receive an MBE at Windsor Castle, presented to him by Princess Anne, and he made his Olympic debut for Team GB at Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Joe retained his Individual title at the 2023 World Modern Pentathlon Championships in Bath, and he also came away with the Silver in the Team event with his British teammates Charlie Brown and Myles Pillage. Having received his first medal at the 2018 European Championships, Joe won a Silver Individual medal at the European Games in Poland in 2023, also winning Gold alongside Charlie and Myles in the Team event. Chatting with us, Joe told us about competing at three Olympic Games (where he became the modern pentathlon champion at Tokyo 2020), retaining the Individual title at the 2023 World Modern Pentathlon Championships in Bath and his Silver and Gold medal wins at the European Games in Poland.
At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, you qualified for the final of the modern pentathlon, what did you enjoy most about your time in Paris last summer and what was the final like to compete in?
The venue was incredible – competing with the Chateau du Versailles in the backdrop is definitely the most iconic venue I’ve ever competed at, along with an amazing crowd which included plenty of Brits!
It was a strange one competing in the final. Obviously happy to be there but I was going into the final with such a bad score from the fencing round done the day before that I was basically relying on other athletes to mess up to have any chance of a medal. Not where I wanted to be but I just tried to appreciate the atmosphere of an Olympic Games and take in the moment. It was also the last ever event of pentathlon with horse riding so that was something I had to make the most of!
What was it like staying in the village and attending the Olympics closing ceremony?
We didn’t actually stay in the village. Versailles was far enough away from the village that Team GB basically turned a hotel into a secondary Team GB zone so that we could get to and from the venue much more easily.
With the Paris Olympics marking the final competition with equestrian show jumping; what do you think the pentathlon will be like to compete in now that an obstacle course has been added and what will you miss about the show jumping?
I think without show jumping the sport loses part of its unique selling point – horse riding is such a unique skill set that made pentathletes truly all round athletes. Obstacles has its pros and cons but that’s probably the biggest thing we’ve lost.
In terms of competing it’s strange – it normally takes years to be elite at any one sport. It took me almost ten years before I was ready to compete at an Olympic Games, but with obstacles we’re expected to be ready to compete on the global stage in four years time in LA, and even before that at World Cups with only a few months of training under our belts!
In 2021, you became the modern pentathlon Olympic champion at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, how was it collecting your Gold medal and what are some of your favourite memories from the competition?
Collecting my medal was the most surreal experience I’ve ever had. I was totally lost in the emotion of achieving a lifelong dream but it was just incredible to be standing there on top of the podium.
I think after COVID, I was just really excited to be at an Olympics after all the difficulties of lockdown and the concerns about the Games being postponed and maybe cancelled. There’s often a lot of pressure around competing at the top level, whereas in Tokyo I just loved competing for the enjoyment of it, and didn’t really get nervous until right before the final event!
That feeling of elation when all the hard work paid off is something I’ll never forget. That, and then calling my family and partner who’d all had to stay and watch from back home and sharing the excitement of what I’d achieved with them are two of my favourite memories.
How did you find the experience visiting Windsor Castle to receive an MBE from Princess Anne, after being awarded in the 2022 New Year Honours after your Olympic success?
I feel so lucky to have been awarded the MBE. I never set out to become an MBE when I started sport, so to meet Princess Anne and receive the award were two unexpected bonuses!
You made your Olympic debut at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, how did you feel being selected to represent Team GB at the Olympics for the first time and what do you remember most from competing in Rio?
I was quite young at my first Olympic Games at 21. There was a lot of youthful excitement – my strongest memory was walking into the fencing hall for the first time and seeing the Olympic rings hanging in the corner. It was a real goosebumps moment as I realised I was becoming an Olympian for the rest of my life.
Can you tell us about competing at the 2023 World Modern Pentathlon Championships in Bath, and how was it retaining your individual title from 2022 and winning Silver with your British teammates Charlie Brown and Myles Pillage?
Winning that World title was completely unexpected. I had a horrible run up into the competition with a calf tear, and I remember discussing goal setting with my coach the week beforehand, and I said I’d just be happy to make the final and to see how my calf held up.
It’s always amazing sharing the podium with teammates, and I think that was the first season where myself and Myles were stood with Charlie Brown, so it kind of felt like a changing of the guard as one of the younger guys came through into the team.
How was it representing Team GB at your first European Games in Poland in 2023, which saw you come away with the Gold medal in the Team event with Charlie and Myles, and the Silver medal in the Individual event?
It was amazing to be part of the European Games – multisport events are always the highlight of the competition calendar and my first Euro Games didn’t disappoint. I was pretty upset not to come home with the Gold because that’s the one title I don’t have yet, but still an amazing comp and very special to be joined on the podium by Myles and Charlie.
What are some of your further stand-out highlights from your pentathlon career so far, and can you say about some of the other competitions you’ve been part of?
Winning Bronze at the Europeans back in 2018 was a particular stand-out moment for me. I felt that I’d been close to getting a medal for a couple of seasons by then, but something hadn’t gone to plan in one event or another. Finally breaking the duck and winning that first medal sort of opened the floodgates, but I’ll never forget that first medal and the feeling of relief that came with it!
The other best memories are away from competitions – the work that goes on behind the scenes with my teammates and the amazing places we’ve been to – altitude camps in Font Romeu or a trip to Mexico City were great camps for bonding with the other lads and building us into better athletes.
How did you get into modern pentathlon and was it always something you wanted to do at elite level?
I swam competitively when I was younger, and played a lot of rugby as well so I had decent running fitness. My younger brother entered the schools biathlon (which is a combination of swimming and running) and, not wanting to be outdone, I joined the team too. We both did very well at the competition and got invited to a talent ID day by the pentathlon youth team where we did some physiology testing and got to try out shooting and fencing for the first time. We both passed the testing and enjoyed it so started to train in the sport at our local club.
Do you have a favourite and a most challenging aspect of competing in the pentathlon and how do you stay focused during a major competition?
My favourite part is the fencing. I love that it’s more complicated than traditional sports – to some extent running and swimming are sports where “try harder = go faster”, whereas fencing needs a lot more planning. You have to try and work out what your opponent is trying to do – I dont play, but I’ve heard the sport be described as physical chess!
What does a typical training day look like for you and how much has it changed over time?
A typical day would be 9am – 10km run. 10:30am – 3-4km swim. 12:30-3pm – lunch and nap break, followed at 3pm with two to three hours of technical training – which could be fencing lessons, sparring, gym, shooting depending on the day.
Over time I’ve become a lot more robust so been able to cope with a much higher training load. I used to consistently run less than 40km a week, now I can manage 60-70km. Also, as I’ve got older, I’ve had to focus more on strength and conditioning to stay on top of new injuries!
How do you like to spend your time away from training?
I really enjoy cooking so I cook for myself and my girlfriend most evenings. Other than that I love a good book or gaming with some of the boys.
Do you have any favourite sports to watch?
I love all sport, but I’ll try to watch England cricket and rugby in particular.
Have you been given any advice over your sporting career so far that has stuck with you, and what advice would you give someone hoping to take up modern pentathlon competitively?
My motto has always been “hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard”. For me, it’s always been a reminder not to let someone beat me just because they’ve worked harder, and to keep on trying to improve no matter how well things are going.
Other than that, I would say you’ve got to love the sport – you’ve got to be excited to compete and have to enjoy the training because if you don’t then it’s a very long road with a lot of sacrifices along the way.
Do you have any competitions coming up that you can tell us about or that you are targeting?
I’m actually dipping my toes into the real world this year interning at the Bank of America. I wanted to take the chance to get a foot on the career ladder as I get into the last few years of my career!
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