Podcast

More Than a Game – Ep 3: Joseph Choong on athlete selection and compassion towards animals in sports

The Olympic gold medallist became a viral sensation when a Malaysian connection was discovered

Updated 1 year ago · Published on 22 Sep 2022 7:00AM

More Than a Game – Ep 3: Joseph Choong on athlete selection and compassion towards animals in sports — British Olympic gold medallist Joseph Choong shares his story, and his connection to Malaysia, in the podcast booth. – The Vibes pic/ Azim Rahman, September 22, 2022

JOSEPH Choong rose to fame during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games held last year, when he became the first Briton to win a gold medal for the country in the men’s modern pentathlon.

His popularity quickly spread to Malaysia when local netizens discovered he had a golden link to the country through his father, Michael Choong.

Seremban native Michael Choong shares his journey from Malaysia to Australia to the UK. – The Vibes pic/ Azim Rahman

Choong senior, originally from Seremban, had moved to Australia when he was 13 years old and lived there for a decade before relocating to the United Kingdom. He met his British wife, Beverly, in the 1990s, got married and went on to have two sons, Joseph and Henry.

The 27-year-old Joe developed a keen interest in sports as a young boy.

Beverly, Joe's mother, shares her side of the story. – The Vibes pic/ Azim Rahman

Joe said that he felt very lucky that he was absorbed into the national setup and credited his success to the country’s sports programme, where its institutions have a strict and just selection policy. The teams train and only the best athletes come forward and get selected to represent the country for the Olympics.

Michael, who was also an avid sportsman in his school days, witnessed how his son underwent rigorous training and came out on top to be one of the best athletes to represent the UK.

Joe is also a strong advocate for making horse-riding fairer and safer for both athletes and the horses. – The Vibes pic/ Azim Rahman

“I kept telling Joe, do not be fooled by thinking they will train you up. You have got to step up.

“You are a pawn for them to use to win medals for the country. So, you must be the best.”

Joe shows off his hard earned gold medal. – The Vibes pic/ Azim Rahman

Pentathlon is an athletic event featuring five disciplines – swimming, fencing, horse-riding, shooting, and running – in a sport derived from ancient Greece.

Joe is also a strong advocate in making the horse-riding discipline fairer and safer for both athletes and horses.

The International Union of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM) is currently exploring the possibility of replacing horse-riding with obstacle course racing altogether.

(L-R) Joe, PETRA News editor-in-chief Terence Fernandez, The Vibes sports desk writer Julie Jalaluddin, sports desk editor T. Vignesh, PETRA group chairman Datuk (Dr) Vinod Sekhar. – The Vibes pic/ Azim Rahman

“A huge majority of pentathletes want to keep horse-riding and change not just the rules of the competition, but to encourage the right attitude towards horses and treating them with respect.

“That is how we can improve the riding discipline in the sport,” Joe added. – The Vibes, September 22, 2022