Woodbridge has been selected after the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced they had upheld an appeal from the Modern Pentathlon Association of Great Britain (MPAGB) that Australia's Alex Parygin, the 1996 Olympic champion when he competed for his native Kazakhstan, should not be eligible because he had not met the selection criteria.

 

The CAS upheld the appeal and that means that Woodbridge, who turned 22 yesterday, was the next highest-ranked athlete eligible.

 

Woodbridge, the 2004 world youth champion, said: "I'm excited to be selected, not just after a year of intense qualification competitions, but also a lifetime of training and dedication.

 

"I'm now set for two months of the hardest training of my career and who knows what can happen under the Olympic pressure.
 
"I saw Beijing as an experience for London, but now I have my eyes on a podium finish.

 

"There is nothing more special to me than the Olympic Games and having the chance to compete is a lifetime ambition.

 

"I am so grateful to everyone that helped get me there. I look forward to August 22."

 

He will compete alongside Sam Weale, a 26-year-old from Yeovil who won his first World Cup medal of his career when he finished third in Millfield in April.

 

Weale, whose brother is a goalkeeper with Championship side Bristol City, said: “It’s every young athlete’s dream to compete at an Olympic Games.

 

"The nature of the sport is that it’s open and anything can happen.

 

"There are three medals up for grab and probably any one of 30 men could have a chance of winning one.

 

"I consider I’m one of those athletes.

 

"I’ve already won a World Cup medal this year and I’m not going to Beijing just to make the numbers up.”

 

The pair will be the first British male Modern Pentathletes to compete at an Olympic Games since Richard Phelps in Atlanta, in 1996.

 

Weale and Woodbridge join Heather Fell and Katy Livingston in Team GB for Beijing, which means Britain will have the maximum complement of four pentathletes at the 2008 Olympic Games.

 

Dominic Mahony, who will lead the Modern Pentathlon team in Beijing, said: “Sam and Nick are both talented young athletes.

 

"They have worked hard to qualify for Beijing and both thoroughly deserve their places on the team.

 

"It is an outstanding achievement to have the full complement of athletes competing in Beijing and we go there with the intention of seriously challenging for medals.”