MODERN PENTATHLON MEDIA GUIDE London 2012 Olympic Games pentathlon.org/london2012 #modpen2012 2 3 Table of Contents Overview of Modern Pentathlon ..................................................................... 6 Key Dates for Media ....................................................................................... 9 Event Schedule .............................................................................................. 10 Olympic Venues ............................................................................................. 12 100 Year Information ...................................................................................... 15 Olympic Pentathlon Facts .............................................................................. 16 Qualified Women Athletes ............................................................................. 20 Athlete Profiles - Women ................................................................................22 Qualified Men Athletes ................................................................................... 44 Athlete Profiles - Men ..................................................................................... 46 Laser Shooting Information ............................................................................68 Qualification Information ................................................................................ 69 Past Olympic Champions .............................................................................. 70 Past World Champions ................................................................................. 72 2012 Results .................................................................................................. 75 World Records ................................................................................................ 76 Olympic Game World Records ....................................................................... 77 Current World Rankings ................................................................................. 79 World Championship Results ......................................................................... 82 Medal Statistics .............................................................................................. 86 Contact Information ....................................................................................... 88 4 5 Overview of Modern Pentathlon The sport was invented as the ultimate physical and mental test of an Swimming Olympic athlete by the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Baron Pierre The athletes head to the Aquatics de Courbertin, in 1912. While the sports chosen 100 years ago remain, the Centre for the second event - a 200m rules have evolved to make Modern Pentathlon even more challenging for the freestyle swim. The races are seeded, athletes and even more exciting for spectators. with the fastest swimmers competing in the final heat. All five events now take place over a single day, instead of five days, and the shooting and running elements have been combined to create a thrilling climax A time of 2:30 is worth 1,000 pentathlon to the event. Points awarded to athletes in the first three events are converted points; every third of a second faster into a time handicap for the final combined event, with every four points giving or slower than this time will be worth a a one second advantage. plus or minus score of four points. So a one-second advantage over a rival So if you’re new to the sport, just remember that the first athlete to cross the in the pool would give a competitor finish line in the final combined event wins the Gold medal. a three-second head start in the combined event. At London 2012, both the men’s and women’s events will feature 36 Riding competitors. The men's Modern Pentathlon is on Saturday 11 August, with the women competing the following day for what will be the final Gold medal The final three disciplines of the of the Olympic Games. London 2012 Modern Pentathlon are being staged in Greenwich Park. The competition format is as follows: In the riding event, the athletes have to complete a show jumping course that includes 12 obstacles in a set Fencing time. To make things harder, the athletes ride unfamiliar horses that The day kicks off with fencing in the are assigned randomly. Each athlete Copper Box venue. Each athlete gets just 20 minutes and five practice fences against all his or her rivals with jumps to get to know the horse in the an electric épée in bouts that last up warm-up ring, before coming out to to a minute. Just one hit is needed compete. to win each contest. If neither fencer A clear round within the time allowed has scored a hit after 60 seconds is worth 1,200 pentathlon points. then both register a defeat so the Competitors lose 20 points for each action can get pretty frenetic in the jump they knock down, 40 points final seconds. for a refusal to jump and 60 points An athlete who wins 25 of their 35 for a fall. They also lose four points bouts will get 1,000 pentathlon for each second they are over the points, with each victory or defeat allotted time. above or below this number worth a That means knocking down a plus or minus score of 24 points. single bar will cost athletes a five- That makes every fencing victory second handicap in the combined worth a six-second head start in the event, while a fall is equivalent to a final combined event. 15-second handicap. 6 7 Combined event: running and shooting For the climax of the competition, athletes Key Dates for Media run a total distance of 3,000m, stopping to shoot at five targets before each 1,000m leg. Athletes can start running the next 1,000m leg once they’ve hit all five targets. If they still haven’t hit five targets after one minute 10 seconds they What When Time Where are allowed to continue, but any hopes of a medal will have gone. At London 2012, New Balance House laser guns are being used instead of air UIPM Media Altitude 360 pistols for the first time in an Olympics. 8th August 10:00-12:00 Hospitality Morning Millbank Tower The competitor who’s amassed the most 21-24 Millbank points in the first three events starts the combined event first, with the rest of the UIPM Press field facing a one second handicap for 9th August 11:30 Main Press Centre every four pentathlon points by which Conference they trail the leader. Media Opportunities This ensures that the first person to cross at Fencing, Swimming the finish wins the Gold medal. 6th-10th August 9:00-17:50 Brentwood School and Combined Event Training Sessions Media Opportunities at Modern Pentathlon 6th-10th August 9:00-16:45 Greenwich Park Riding Training Sessions Copper Box, Aquatics Men’s Final 11th August 8:45-15:44 Centre & Greenwich Park Men’s Medallists 11th August 20:10 Greenwich Park Press Conference Copper Box, Aquatics Women’s Final 12th August 8:00-18:59 Centre & Greenwich Park Women’s Medallists 12th August 19:25 Greenwich Park Press Conference 8 9 Event Schedule Event Men's Final Women's Final Saturday 11 August 2012 Sunday 12 August 2012 Fencing 08:45-11:42 8:00-10:57 Copper Box Swimming 13:20-13:44 12:35-12:59 Aquatics Centre Riding 15:56-17:44 15:11-16.59 Greenwich Park Combined Event 18:44-19:04 17:59-18:19 Greenwich Park Medal Ceremony 19:24-19:44 18:24-18:59 Greenwich Park 10 11 Olympic Games Venues Swimming The swimming element will be held at the Aquatics Centre, designed by internationally acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid and built within the Olympic Park for London 2012. With room for 17,500 spectators beneath its spectacular, wave- like roof a large crowd will be on Aquatics Centre hand to watch the 200m swimming modern pentathlon event. Olympic Park London, E20 2AQ United Kingdom Fencing The fencing element of the competition will be held at the 7,000-capacity Copper Box, built within the Olympic Park especially Copper Box for London 2012. Designed by Olympic Park Make Architects, a London-based architectural practice, the Copper London, E20 3HB Box will feature more than 3,000 United Kingdom square metres of external copper cladding, giving it a distinctive appearance and a rich natural colour. After the Games, it will be converted into a multi-sports venue for everything from international competition to community sports. 12 13 Riding & Combined 100 Years at the The riding and combined event will be held in Greenwich Park, part of the Maritime Greenwich World Olympic Games Heritage Site that also includes the Old Royal Naval College and the National Maritime Museum. Included in the 1912 Olympic Games specifically at Baron Pierre de A temporary 23,000 seater arena Greenwich Park Coubertin’s request, the Modern Pentathlon completes one hundred years of unbroken participation in the Olympic Games in London in 2012. As one of is being built in the park for the Greenwich Modern Pentathlon and Equestrian the core sports, it had the privilege of being the Games’ opening event from events. It is London’s oldest London, SE10 8QY 1912 until 1992. Since 1996, when the sport became a one day event, it has become the closing competition of each Games. In its early history, Modern Royal Park, dating back to 1433, United Kingdom Greenwich Park contains the Royal Pentathlon was dominated by Sweden who provided every individual gold Observatory, which is the home of medallist except one from 1912 until 1956 when Hungary and the Soviet Greenwich Mean Time. During the Union then became the dominant countries. running element, the athletes will In the early years of the sport, the organising