Jeremy Robert "Jim" Fox

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(born 19 September 1941) is a British modern pentathlete and Olympic champion.

Career

Fox is one of the most influential figures in the development of the Modern Pentathlon in Britain. He won the British title a record ten times and is the only British pentathlete to have competed in four Olympic Games. His fourth place in the individual event at Munich in 1972 was the best placing by a Briton up to that time. It was only subsequently matched by Richard Phelps in 1984, and surpassed in 2021 by Joe Choong who won gold in Tokyo. Fox made his Olympic début in 1964, when he placed 29th in the individual event, and in his second Olympic appearance in 1968 he improved to finish eighth. After the 1968 Games, Fox, then a sergeant in the

REME The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is a corps of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's Professional Engineers". History Prior to REME's for ...

, announced his retirement but he was dissuaded by his coach, Ron Bright, and remained in the sport for another eight years. During that period he set a fine example to the tyros of the sport and following his final individual effort at the 1972 Olympics he won a team gold medal in Modern Pentathlon at the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, with

Danny Nightingale Robert Daniel "Danny" Nightingale (born 21 May 1954) is a British modern pentathlete and Olympic champion. He won a team gold medal in the modern pentathlon at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, with Adrian Parker Adrian Parker (born ...

and

Adrian Parker Adrian Parker (born 2 March 1951) is a British modern pentathlete and Olympic champion. He won a team gold medal in the modern pentathlon at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, with Danny Nightingale Robert Daniel "Danny" Nightingale ( ...

. Fox, who was later commissioned as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the REME, was first awarded the MBE and subsequently the

for his services to the sport.

References

External links

* 1941 births Living people British male modern pentathletes Olympic modern pentathletes of Great Britain Modern pentathletes at the 1964 Summer Olympics Modern pentathletes at the 1968 Summer Olympics Modern pentathletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics Modern pentathletes at the 1976 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain English Olympic medallists Olympic medalists in modern pentathlon Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers officers Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Officers of the Order of the British Empire {{UK-Olympic-medalist-stub