Jamie Cooke became the irst British man to win the Modern Pentathlon world title for 25 years with a stunning sprint inish at last year’s World Championships in Mexico City. The 28-year-old from Salisbury was in third place going into the inal stage of the event, the ‘Laser Run’: laser pistol shooting combined with a 3.2km cross-country run, incorporating an 800m race to the inish. At the line Cooke beat his closest rival, who had slowed down to celebrate, by a few millimetres, snatching the title by breaking the tape. Competing in a sport which combines fencing, freestyle swimming, show jumping, shooting and running requires a unique skillset, endurance stamina by the bucket load and one hell of a busy schedule, as Cooke reveals to MF.
Sharp shooter: Cooke (left) takes aim