Jamie Cooke insists he has heeded the warning signs after following up on his failure to reach the final of the Rio World Cup with success at the British Modern Pentathlon Championships.
Cooke made his second World Cup appearance of 2013 in Brazil last month, after finishing 30th at the season opener in America, but missed out on the final as he placed 21st in qualification group B.
However at the British Championships at the weekend Cooke was just edged out of the overall title after a sprint finish with junior Joe Choong but claimed the senior crown for his efforts.
And Cooke, the world junior champion from 2011, admits he has learnt from the lessons of his outing in Rio and is adamant he is back on track for more success this year.
“I was really disappointed not to make the final [in Rio] but did not deserve to anyway with a poor performance. I realised I needed to train harder in certain areas,” said Cooke.
“This is the year to try new things and we were doing something different in the pool, which wasn’t working as well for me.
“Now we are doing things I know work for me and that shows with my 1:55minute 200m freestyle at the nationals.
“I was a bit annoyed to be pipped on the post [at the nationals] but all credit to Choong who had a wicked competition.
“If I had been told beforehand I would win the senior men’s title, I would have taken it. The conditions on the day were almost perfect. I was really happy with my run-shoot, swim and my ride.
“As usual, I still need to work on my fencing. I am always up there in the national rankings so did expect to do well. It was certainly in my mind that I could win.
“Now, I need to focus on individual areas to improve in training.”
© Sportsbeat 2013