Olivia Green and Joe Choong win second gold for Pentathlon GB at World Cup in Budapest as Sam Curry records best-ever finish
Olivia Green and Joe Choong won mixed relay gold and there was a best-ever World Cup finish for University of Bath alumnus Sam Curry as Pentathlon GB completed an impressive return to international competition in Budapest.
University of Bath student Green, who is supported by an Alumni Fund sporting scholarship, and Mathematics graduate Choong were in the top three throughout Sunday’s competition after setting the fastest swim of the day and recording a clear round in the horse riding.
Those performances, along with an improved display in the fencing, meant the British duo went into the decisive laser-run discipline just a second behind host nation Hungary and they were able to pull clear to take Pentathlon GB’s second gold of the weekend following Kate French’s outstanding victory in the women’s final on Friday.
Green, who had made her senior individual World Cup debut earlier in the week, said: “It feels great. We’ve been working hard over the past few months and I feel like it’s finally starting to pay off. I’m very excited.”
Sunday’s success made amends for disappointment in the men’s final for Choong, who had to settle for 32nd place overall on Saturday after a below-par fencing display. Jamie Cooke also struggled for form in the fencing salle and finished 16th, two places ahead of Tom Toolis.
Leading the way for the men was Curry, who was solid throughout and made up three places during a strong run-shoot to finish ninth overall – his first-ever individual top-10 placing at a World Cup.
“I’ve been working a lot on some of the finer details in training and it’s really fulfilling to see that the hard work has paid off today,” said Curry, who studied Politics & International Relations at Bath. “What’s even more encouraging is that I’ve been able to put together a top 10 finish despite an average result in the fencing.
“Today is a great platform for me to build from. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season and seeing where I can go from here.”
Pentathlon GB athletes train at the Team Bath Sports Training Village – click here to find out more about modern pentathlon at the University of Bath.
