Jamie Cooke wins Modern Pentathlon World Junior Championships
Last updated 11/21/2011 7:12:15 PM
Jamie Cooke wins Modern Pentathlon World Junior Championships
Britain's Jamie Cooke can claim the award for Optimist of the Year after coming from 29th place to win the Modern Pentathlon World Junior Championship in Argentina.
The 20-year-old was written off after slumping to rock bottom after the fencing discipline, so often the problem for British pentathletes, but he then produced a powerful swim, drew himself a good horse for an impressive ride and then finished it all off with a dynamic run/shoot to finish the gruelling day on top of the podium in Buenos Aires.
"This is my biggest achievement yet. I didn't expect to win here, especially after my fence," said Cooke.
"There was a lot of pressure on me in the run/shoot as there were some fantastic runners around me. I also thought I had something to prove after the European Juniors.
"I was second at the World Youths a few years ago and when I realised I had a chance of winning after the second shoot here I told myself there would be no way that I would be coming second."
It takes Britain's medal tally at the championships so far to three after Frevia Prentice's individual bronze in the women's final on Saturday, when the women's team of Prentice, Kate French and Lydia Rosling also struck gold.
Cooke has already achieved the London 2012 qualifying standard, but is not yet certain of place on the team but this, of course, has raised his chances hugely.
He was the only Briton to qualify for the men's final, so GB finished 12th in the team competition.
Britain's last world junior champion was Heather Fell, who took the women's title in Greece in 2003.