Team GB pentathlete Joe Choong believes that not having his girlfriend in Paris stopped him from winning an Olympic medal.
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games have been highly successful for Great Britain, who have so far claimed 63 medals, including 13 golds.
Having bringing home gold in the men's modern pentathlon in the Tokyo Olympic Games, Choong was believed to be a potential gold medallist for Team GB in Paris.
But, after finishing ninth in the 2024 event, he has offered an explanation as to why he feels he performed below his own high standards.
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He admitted: “I wish I’d been able to bring home a medal this time round.
“I showed physically I got my preparation right, I just mentally wasn’t in the right head space to perform when it mattered a couple of days ago so I left too much to do.
“The saying goes a happy athlete’s a good athlete, and I think that’s true. I’ve not been particularly happy with the training environment for a couple of months.
“The decision around not picking my girlfriend, that process was really disappointing. It’s been difficult to work through that.”
Choong performed well in the riding, swimming and laser run but fell short in the fencing round which ultimately led to him finishing far behind gold medallist Ahmed Elgendy.
His girlfriend Olivia Green also competes in the modern pentathlon, but despite her performances leading to Team GB earning one of their quota places, she was not selected to compete at Paris 2024.
Instead, defending champion Kate French and 2023 World Championship bronze medallist Kerenza Bryson represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games this summer.
But Green's omission from the Games wasn't the only reason that Choong claims he struggled in Paris, as he also criticised recent decisions made regarding the future of the event.
Previously, the event was contested over five days but in Paris athletes had just two hours.
Additionally, from the 2028 Los Angeles Games, the horse show-jumping event will be removed.
"You have to accept it because ultimately we weren’t listened to and, if you keep banging your head against a brick wall, all you’re going to do is hurt your head,” he said.
"It’s just a different sport. Modern pentathlon’s got the history, you’ve got the whole 19th century cavalry soldier, that wonderful story of stealing a horse, riding through a battle, swimming across a river and running away, and we just lose all that.
"I’m going to keep going for another year. I don’t want to end on a ninth, I’m an Olympic champion for a reason, double world champion. I want to end on a high."
Ben McCrum