Pentathlon GB performance director Jan Bartu was full of praise for young duo Jamie Cooke and Joe Choong after they qualified for the men’s final at the Modern Pentathlon World Championships.
Cooke, 23, was the star of the British show in Poland as he qualified for the showpiece in style, finishing fifth in his semi-final.
However 19-year-old Choong had to face an anxious wait to see if he lived to fight another day in Warsaw, the teenager eventually confirmed as being handed the last ‘next highest points scorer’ slot.
There was disappointment for Sam Curry, a day after he turned 21, and teammate Joe Evans, a day before he reaches the same landmark, as they both missed out on places in Saturday's final.
However Bartu was delighted for Cooke and Choong ahead of this weekend’s final.
“It’s remarkable, you’ve got to have respect for him [Choong],” said Bartu. “He showed real intensity in the way he fought and handled the pressure.
“I would have to say he [Cooke] had his best combined event ever. “He was in a really tough group, but he worked his way through the field and ended up in the top-five.
“That was a really respectable result and hopefully it will give him confidence for the final on Saturday.
“We’ve had our youngest men’s team at a World Championships here and competing at this level is a good experience for them.”
© Sportsbeat 2014