Olivia Green dreaming of Olympic glory after Krakow success

Modern Pentathlon 07 Jul 23

Modern pentathlete Olivia Green is hoping her European Games success can translate to gold on the Olympic stage next summer.

The 23-year-old soared to bronze in Poland, overpowering her competitors in the laser run to cross the line in third and clinch Team GB a Paris 2024 quota spot in the women's event.

Green is one of Britain's brightest stars in the sport, finishing fifth at the World Championships last year.

And with a bronze medal for Team GB firmly around her neck, the modern pentathlete is now ready for her first taste of Olympic stardom.

"I still feel really happy, but it's set in a bit more now," she said.

"When I crossed the line, someone told me that I had come third and I was so shocked I hadn't realised.

"Pentathlon is five sports with a lot of technical elements in there, so to be able to bring them all together on the day when it counted is an incredible feeling.

"I've absolutely loved being in Poland. All the pin swapping and the atmosphere, Team GB have made us all feel so welcome.

"Obviously my aim is to go to Paris, and I would love to medal there.

"You've got to set your aim high, so, it's a gold medal at Paris really.

"I'm doing everything that I can to work towards that now. I'm on the journey and I'm going to give it my best shot.

"This is definitely a good start to the year ahead and to have that quota spot is a great mark on my record."

With boyfriend Joe Choong the current reigning Olympic champion in the men's event, Green's life is pretty pentathlon mad.

The couple flew home from Poland with three medals between them, Choong having an individual silver at his first European Games and men's team gold alongside Myles Pillage and Charles Brown.

"It's an amazing thing to get team gold with the boys," said Choong.

"But then also being able to watch Liv win her first individual medal, it was an amazing feeling.

"We spoke about the laser run before the last event, and we were saying that it doesn't matter how well or how bad you're doing, you keep pushing because team gold is on the line."

Silver for Choong secured Team GB another quota spot for Paris 2024 in the men's modern pentathlon, with the Tokyo 2020 gold medallist now eyeing up his third successive Olympic Games.

"The most important thing is getting that quota spot early, a year before the Games, because it means you don't have to go chasing world ranking points next year," he said.

"So, you can then focus on training and getting your preparation right.

"When I was growing up, my dream was always to go to just one Olympics and now I've already been to two and one European Games, with more opportunities on the horizon."

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