Watching the Olympic Games 2012: Modern Pentathlon
How it works
Athletes compete against each other in fencing before a 200m swimming time trial and a 12-jump show?jumping course. The aggregated results decide the start times for the combined running and shooting finale, which is an innovation in the sport. Competitors complete a 3,000m run punctuated by three five-target shooting elements.
Who’s hot
Germany’s Lena Schöneborn, 24, is the women’s Olympic champion and dominated 2010′s World Cup events. Russia’s Aleksander Lesun is the top?ranked male but his compatriot Serguei Karyakin is world champion
Home hopes
Team GB has won four medals in the event since 2000, and Heather Fell claimed silver behind Schöneborn in Beijing. Mhairi Spence won silver at this year’s first World Cup event in California. Nick Woodbridge has kicked off 2011 with some impressive outings
The road to London
- 9-10 July 2011 World Cup final, London
- 28 Jul-1 Aug 2011 European Championships, Medway Park, Kent
The stage
Fencing takes place at the Handball Arena, swimming at the Aquatic Centre, both in the Olympic Park. Riding and the combined event will be in Greenwich Park
What they say
“It [the running and shooting finale] is a massive change to combine the two events into one and completely changes the ethos of the sport that was formulated by Baron de Coubertin”
Jan Bartu, the performance director for Team GB Modern pentathlon
Did you know?
Plans to replace the air pistols used in the shooting element with lasers had to be shelved after complaints over reliability surfaced in last year’s World Cup Final in Moscow
Competition dates
11-12 August
Ticket prices
Entire event £75
Combined running/shooting £20-£35
Tempted to be there?
You can apply for Olympic tickets until 26 April. Visit http://www.tickets.london2012.com/
The application process for tickets for the Paralympic Games will begin on 9 September 2011 and tickets for the London 2012 Festival (part of the Cultural Olympiad) in October 2011.
