Joe almighty
CHOONG HITS BULLSEYE WITH GOLD AND SAYS: I LEARNED THE LESSON OF MY RIO MELTDOWN
THIS time when he fired and missed, Joe Choong didn’t go to pieces.
He took aim again, squeezed the trigger, and struck gold for Britain for the 20th time at these Tokyo Games.
He banished the memory of stuffing-up in Rio and delivered a victory double for Britain’s dominant modern pentathletes.
“It’s unbelievable,” the Kent athlete said after repeating the achievement of Kate French to give the nation its first-ever male winner of this event.
“Just so many emotions going through my head – disbelief, shock...”
Choong had been in second place at the 2016 Olympics going into the final event, the laser run. He ended up 10th.
One of his shots from the laser failed to register and, by his own admission, he “totally and mentally” went.
“I couldn’t hit a shot after that,” he admitted.
Four years on, his aim was once more off, as he took eight shots to hit five targets on his first lap of the laser run.
“Shooting was a bit sketchy again, I thought I was going to lose it after that,” he said. “It just shows the experience I gained from Rio. I kept my cool and nailed it.”
It was still tight as Ahmed Elgendy made up a 50-second gap to go ahead at the start of the final lap. But Choong had the kick when it counted and burned off his Egyptian rival in the sprint to the line.
The 26-year-old’s win sparked emotional scenes on the podium as he collected his medal.
“I was just thinking of my family,” he said, wiping his eyes. “Parents, my grandma, grandad – he died a couple of years ago. He would have loved to see this.
“I’ve been thinking of this moment ever since I can remember,” he added. “I remember watching the Sydney Olympics when I was five, then Kelly Holmes in Athens.
“I’ve always said I’ve wanted to be the best in the world at something. This is a dream come true.”
Choong got off to a flying start, finishing joint top in fencing and third in the 200m freestyle swim, before winning the bonus fencing round.
He then had the good fortune to draw Clntino, the horse French had ridden on her way to Olympic gold.
“I was thinking, ‘Don’t get one of the difficult horses’,” he said, mindful of how the women’s event had been turned on its head when the German leader drew a horse she could not tame and had a meltdown.
“I got the same one Kate got, so it’s obviously a bit of a lucky charm.”
Although he had 14 faults, it was enough for a 12-second lead going into the laser run (left). And that, in turn, proved just enough to get him home. ■■TEAM GB’S Morgan Lake was forced to pull out of last night’s high-jump final with a foot injury she sustained in qualifying. “Absolutely heartbroken,” tweeted the 24-year-old. “Finding it hard to believe this is even real. Hoping I wake up tomorrow and this is all a horrible dream.”