Olympic pentathlete 'a competition animal'

The family of a modern pentathlete have paid tribute to a hard-working "very genuine young man", after he missed out on a place in an Olympic final by one place and two seconds.

Charlie Brown, 21, had been called up as a late replacement for injured team-mate Myles Pillage.

Brown, a University of Bath student, said he was putting his Shropshire hometown "Cleobury Mortimer on the map" and Team GB had been "amazing".

Father Martin Brown stated his son was almost "a competition animal".

The student, who also has connections with Kidderminster in Worcestershire, began studying and training at the university in 2021 and studies sports management and coaching.

The five sports are shooting, running, swimming, fencing and showjumping.

Following the Olympic semi-final, mother Liz Brown said: "[He] absolutely loves people, noise. When he went on that platform, we just said to ourselves 'that is Charlie's arena, that's just what he absolutely loves'.

"He's just very grounded, [a] lovely lad. I am gonna say that, because I'm his mother, but he actually is a very genuine young man."

She added: "It's like watching a three-hour penalty shootout and even if you don't support the teams, then you add in your emotion for your team, it's just... emotionally draining."

The competitor's father said his son had always given it his all "in anything he's done and he just applies himself and just loves competition".

He stated: "The fact that we've been in pony club and stuff like that, he's a good rider, he's a good runner, he can swim well.

"He's had good coaches throughout his career."

Asked about showjumping on Friday, Charlie Brown said he was "really proud of that round".

He added: "Horse riding's something [that's] really special to me, as I grew up with horses. My whole family rides.

"All the support from back home's been amazing. Everyone... [from] Shropshire, they're amazing people and it's nice to represent them as well as the whole nation."

Questioned about what it had meant to have the Team GB logo on his chest, Brown replied: "That's something that I get quite emotional about.

"I've always wanted to be an Olympian since I was younger and I've got all my family and friends watching me."

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