Jeremy Robert "Jim" Fox OBE, 1941-2023

It is with deep sadness that we have learnt of the death of fellow fencer and pentathlete Jim Fox.

Jim was 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 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 at Los Angeles 1984, and surpassed in 2021 by Joe Choong who won gold at Tokyo 2020. Fox made his Olympic début in 1964, when he was 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 Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers (REME), announced his retirement but he was dissuaded by his coach, Ron Bright, and remained in the sport for another eight years.

At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, with Danny Nightingale and Adrian Parker, he won a gold medal in the Modern Pentathlon team competition. During the match against Russia, Jim was the main mover in what was to become known as the Onischenko affair. Onishenko having scored a hit against Adrian Parker which seemed to occur without him being touched, the same thing happened again when he fenced Jim. The weapon was initially thought to be faulty but on further examination the weapon was found to have been illegally modified.

Photos courtesy of “Smelling of Roses” by David Hunn (1980)