MODERN PENTATHLON: Jamie Cooke books World Cup place (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Cooke loses top spot to great rival Woodbridge

7:00am Thursday 2nd February 2012 in Sport By Danny Hall, Sports Editor

WORLD junior champion Jamie Cooke, from Shipton Oliffe, has been selected in Britain’s four-strong men’s team for the opening two modern pentathlon World Cups of 2012.

He is joined by Beijing 2008 Olympians Sam Weale and Nick Woodbridge along with Steven Mason.

So far 20-year-old Cooke is the only British male athlete to have achieved the Olympic qualifying standard.

The next opportunity to qualify is at Rome World Championships in May, when a top-three finish will be required.

Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, predicted: “It’s going to be a tough competition. These guys aren’t second class pentathletes. They can realistically go to the Games and have a chance to compete well there.”

The quartet all train at the Pentathlon GB High Performance Centre at the University of Bath.

The opening World Cup of the year takes place at Charlotte in the USA from March 8-11, and is followed by a second at Rio de Janeiro from March 15-18.

Woodbridge narrowly beat Cooke in the third and final selection trial in Bath at the end of January which allowed him to pip his great friend and younger rival to the GB No.1 ranking over the series of three events.