(American Pentathlete Margaux Isaksen. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
?
Modern Pentathlon is one of the coolest sports you?ve probably never heard of. ?It was created by the founder of the modern Olympics himself,?Baron?Pierre de Coubertin?as a test of what a ?modern? warrior is supposed to be. ?The sport combines running, swimming, equestrian, fencing, and shooting into a one day, super human event. ?This weekend, at the US Olympic Training center in Colorado Springs, CO, the 99th National Championships are being held to decide who will compete in the world championships and eventually go onto the 2012 Olympic Games.
This really is an exciting event, combining the skills of many different sports. ?The event has had problems with dwindling competitors and coverage in the last few years, which is a shame because there is basically no sport that is more ?James Bond? than modern pentathlon. ?Just imagine: ?You get your orders from MI6: ??Deliver this computer file to our boys in the CIA?
?I?m on it,? you say ? and you?re off!
First, you encounter a corrupt (and?debonair) media tycoon: ?I?m sorry Mister Bond, I simply cannot let you deliver that dossier.? ?Whoosh!! You dismiss him with a deft swing of your??p?e.? As you head on the next leg of your journey ? look out! ?Tower bridge has been rendered impassable by the minions of Dr. No! ?You?d best make a swim for it? ?Success!
Unfortunately, when you reach the other side, it appears the villainous OddJob has trapped your beautiful Astin Martin under a smoldering pile of ruble. ?Fear not! ?The king?s stables are just beyond that knoll. ?You make a dash and alight upon the first noble steed you find, knowing not whether it is feral or tame!
Finally you must make the final dash, all the while dispatching your enemies periodically with your pistol, cleverly concealed in your attache case. ?You?ve done it! ?The queen and country salute you!
?
OK, its not quite like that, but it is close, and in fact in some ways its even cooler ? the pistols in modern pentathlon are actually laser guns! ?Here?s the real rundown of this ?Most interesting sport in the world? (from wikipedia):
Fencing.
Mhairi Spence of Great Britain in action during the Fencing section (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
The competition is a?round-robin, meaning each competitor will face all the other competitors once. Each match lasts up to one minute; the first fencer to score a hit wins instantly. If neither scores within one minute, both lose the match.
?
?
?
Swimming.
Swimmers dive into the water during the women's final round of the Modern Pentathlon European Championships (Photo by Harry Engels/Getty Images)
The swimming discipline is a 200?m?freestyle?race. Until the 2000 Olympics, the distance was 300 metres.?Competitors are seeded in heats according to their fastest time over the distance.
?
?
?
Equestrian.
Oleksandr Mordasov of the Ukraine competes in the horse jumping (Photo by Harry Engels/Getty Images)
The riding discipline involves?show jumping?over a 350?450 m course with 12 to 15 obstacles. Competitors are paired with horses in a draw 20 minutes before the start of the event.
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
Shooting/Running.
Adrienn Toth of Hungary shoots in the Combined Event (Photo by Harry Engels/Getty Images)
The shooting discipline involves using?a laser pistol instead of an actual projectile, standing, from 10m. There is a slight delay between the trigger pull and the laser firing, simulating the time it would take for a pellet to clear the muzzle (The pistol actually fires a burst of air to ?power? the laser, simulating an air pistol feel). ?The contestants will run the first 100m, then will have three bouts of shooting each followed by a 1000 m run, for a total run of 3100 meters. ?During the shooting portion, the only penalty comes from missing the target. ?The contestant must keep shooting until all five targets have been ?struck?
It truly is a cool event and the women?s championship begins tomorrow, followed by the men on Sunday. ?Check into DailyHouse this weekend for results.
Competitors lie exhausted after completing the Combined Event (Photo by Harry Engels/Getty Images)
?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.