Dr. Stephanie Cook

Stephanie Cook’s career at the apex of Modern Pentathlon was relatively brief, but she crammed an incredible amount of success into a short period. When she retired in 2001, to resume her medical career, she did so as a reigning Olympic, world and European champion who had picked up three World Cup gold medals in three years.

Born in Scotland and educated in England, Cook (GBR) travelled to the opposite side of the world to enjoy her definitive triumph. In the first year of the new millennium, in Sydney, history was made when women bestrode the Olympic Games Modern Pentathlon for the first time. Great Britain had never won a pentathlon medal before but Cook claimed a stunning gold, racing past her training partner Emily deRiel (USA) in the final 300m of the cross-country run, while Kate Allenby (GBR) added bronze.

Cook (GBR) had started her pentathlon career while studying medicine at Oxford University. She had already been a competitive rower at Cambridge University but was drawn to pentathlon through her background in horse riding and athletics. She had represented England at cross-country running, and it was her speed and stamina that enabled her to cut through the field from sometimes distant positions and reach the podium.

Having qualified as a doctor, Cook (GBR) put her career on hold to pursue her Olympic dream, with spectacular results. Having published a number of papers in medical journals, she now works as a general practitioner in Sussex, southern England, where she lives with her husband and two sons.