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A swim school in Dartford is celebrating after one of its former pupils swam his way into the history books at the Toyko Olympic Games.
Joe Choong become the first British male to win an Olympic gold medal in the modern pentathlon on Saturday.
The 26-year-old, from Orpington, recorded a personal best total of 1,482 points across five events – fencing, swimming, show jumping and a combined event of pistol shooting and cross country running – to claim top prize in Japan.
But for one Dartford business owner, watching ex-pupil Joe step up to the podium and collect his medal was almost as exciting as competing herself.
Former Kent County champion and Commonwealth Games swimmer Angela Wilson runs Angela’s Swim School across the town, as well as Gravesend and Medway.
“I was just five years old when I started competing," she said. "There is no other feeling like winning for your country.”
The school, which teaches from Dartford Girl’s Grammar School and the Hilton hotel by the Dartford Bridge, taught Joe and his younger brother Henry, also a modern pentathlete, in their youth.
Joe, who attended the private New Beacon School in Sevenoaks, started lessons in Dartford when he was just 10 months old and swam with Angela for ten years.
"He showed his talent for swimming from a very young age, earning his 100m swimming distance award aged just five," she said.
"And, even when he was swimming at a national level ten years later, he returned to the swim school for technique coaching."
Angela was overjoyed to see Joe put the lessons he learnt in those classes into practice as part of his landmark victory at the Tokyo Games.
“One of the most exciting parts of running a swim school is seeing young people flourish into strong, confident swimmers," she said.
"We hope seeing Joe become such an outstanding athlete will inspire many more children to join us for lessons and perhaps even choose to follow a career in swimming too.”
But the pentathlete's success in the pool was no stroke of fortune, she explains.
Through her Swimstylers programme, Angela encourages her students to follow her 6 Ds of learning to swim: "Development, Discipline, Drive, Determination, Dedication and Dream".
“Swimming teaches you so much about yourself, whether you’re going for gold or to be the best you can be," she added.
Following his history-making feat, Joe’s mother Beverley Choong said she was “over the moon” at his success.
She watched his triumph at home on television with her husband, son and son’s girlfriend, surrounded by flags, bunting and memorabilia.
Ms Choong told the PA news agency: “It’s very tense watching it.”
“Everything he’s been working for, all the sacrifices, thankful to all his team-mates, his coaches.”
His success came just 24 hours after Meopham's Kate French won gold in the female event. Her school also paid tribute to her achievements and said she was an "inspiration" to pupils.
It's the first time any country has secured modern pentathlon medals in both the men's and women's event in the same Games.
Angela's Swim School started in 2002 and now has around 2,500 swimmers coming each week for term-time lessons with more than 100 instructors in 20 locations across Essex, Kent, Surrey and London.
To find out more about its classes click here.
