Beijing Olympic Games

Updated: 2008-08-21 16:45:41

Qian Zhenhua (L) of China competes with Andrea Valentini of Italy. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

The Men’s Fencing Epee one touch match of the Modern Pentathlon event of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was held in Beijing, China, on August 21, 2008.

Qian Zhenhua of China reacts during the match. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Andrey Moiseev (L) of Russia competes. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Viktor Horvath (L) of Hungary competes. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

A general view at the Men’s Fencing Epee one touch (Photo credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Updated: 2008-08-20 21:10:28

(BEIJING, August 20) — If Andrei Moiseev of Russia successfully defends the title he won at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games he will become only the second athlete to win back-to-back gold medals in Modern Pentathlon.

The feat was achieved by Sweden’s Lars Hall in 1952 and 1956.

Moiseev, 29, who stands a towering 1.95m, won the European championships this year and has been in fine form in recent months.

His stiffest challenge may come from fellow-Russian Ilia Frolov, 24, ranked No. 1 in the world by the UIPM. Frolov finished second at the 2007 world championships in Berlin before going one better at this year’s event in Budapest. He also came second to Moiseev at last month’s European championships in Moscow.

Not surprisingly, the greatest threat to a Russian victory will probably come from Hungary, in the shape of world No. 5 Viktor Horvath.

The two countries have dominated Olympic competitions since 1960, with Hungarians taking gold four times and Russians winning at the last two Games.

Horvath claimed the world and European titles last year. This year, however, he has been troubled by a slipped disc which put his participation in Beijing in doubt at one stage.

But it may not be a just a three-way contest.

Lithuanian lawyers Andrejus Zadneprovskis, 34, and Edvinas Krungolcas, 35, have racked up plenty of titles in their brilliant careers. Each will be looking to complete his collection with Olympic gold.

Others who could be in the medal shake-up include Jean Maxence Berrou of France and David Svoboda of the Czech Republic - respectively world No. 2 and No. 6 - Yahor Lapo of Belarus, who was third in this year’s world championship and Poland’s Marcin Horbacz who is a veteran at 34 but usually finishes in the top eight.

Then there is 27-year-old Germany’s Steffen Gebhardt, who has been steadily moving up through the ranks since he won the 2002 world junior title in Sydney.

The Men’s Modern Pentathlon will get underway at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 21.

Updated: 2008-08-20 19:18:34

(BEIJING, August 20) — A preview on the Modern Pentathlon competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games based on historical facts and figures.

5,566– Highest points total achieved since the current scoring system was introduced in 1956.

2000– Year in which the women’s Modern Pentathlon was added to the Olympic curriculum.

1912– Year in which Modern Pentathlon was introduced to the Olympic stage.

39– Age of American Sheila Taormina, the oldest participant in the Modern Pentathlon in Beijing. She will become the first American to compete in three different Olympic sports, having taken part in Swimming and Triathlon.

22– Modern Pentathlon will be contested for the 22nd time in Olympic history.

21– Record number of Modern Pentathlon medals by Hungary and Sweden.

16– Age of Rita Sanzagero of Guatemala, the youngest participant in Modern Pentathlon in Beijing.

9– Gold medals by Sweden and Hungary, the most successful National Olympic Committees (NOC) in the history of Olympic Modern Pentathlon.

7– Pavel Lednev of the former Soviet Union has won a record seven Olympic medals in Modern Pentathlon.

5– Final rank for American George Patton in 1912. He would later become a highly decorated general in the US Army.

3– Andras Balczo of Hungary is the only athlete that has won three gold medals in Modern Pentathlon.

2– Successive victories by Lars Hall of Sweden in 1952 and 1956, making him the only back-to-back Olympic champion in Modern Pentathlon.

1– The world’s top ranked Modern Pentathletes are Ilia Frolov of Russian (Men) and Amelie Caze of France (Women).

0– The winner of the Shooting event has never won the overall gold medal in Modern Pentathlon.

Updated: 2008-07-22

(BEIJING, July 22) — US Pentathlon announced the 2008 US Olympic Team on Monday, July 21. According to the team roaster, Sam Sacksen will join Eli Bremer, Margaux Isaksen and Sheila Taormina to represent the United States to compete in the modern pentathlon event during the Beijing Games. Janusz Peciak and Michael Cintas were named Head Coach and Riding Coach, respectively.

The team roster is as follows:

Women:
Margaux Isaksen
Sheila Taormina

Men:
Eli Bremer
Sam Sacksen

Head Coach: Janusz Peciak
Riding Coach: Michael Cintas
Team Leader: Scott Novack

Updated: 2008-07-03

(BEIJING, July 3) — Since its creation over a century ago by Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the modern pentathlon has been referred to as the “true Olympic sport” as it tests competitors in five separate disciplines, shooting, fencing, swimming, riding and cross-country running all in one grueling day of competition.

Among those preparing for the 2008 Beijing Games is Russia’s Ilia Frolov, gold medal winner at the recent Budapest world championship. His fellow countryman, Andrei Moiseev, placing fifth in Budapest, is looking to uphold his Olympic title earned at the 2004 Athens Games.

Defending champion in Budapest, Viktor Horvath of Hungary finished last in the competition, defeated in the final phases by a debilitating injury. Sadly, injuries such as Horvath’s are not uncommon in the sport. With Hungary’s legacy in the modern pentathlon, the pressure is great for the 30-year-old athlete to add a gold medal to his splendid display of awards.

The men’s modern pentathlon will be contested on August 21st in Beijing.

Updated: 2008-06-11

(BEIJING, June 11) — Confirmation from US Pentathlon was the final thing Sheila Taormina needed to become the first female in the world to compete in the Olympics four times and in three different sports, and she got it on Tuesday, June 10.

“Part of my mission is to break two paradigms out there: 1) that it takes 10 years to learn a sport and 2) that a person is too old to do well after their mid-20s,” said Taormina on her blog on December 15, 2007.

After winning gold in the 1996 Olympics as part of the American 4×200 meter freestyle relay team, and competing in the Sydney and Athens Olympics in the triathlon, Taormina will be representing the USA in the Pentathlon in Beijing.

Mission accomplished.

Taormina, who has seven brothers and sisters, will be 39 when she competes in Beijing. Her father Sam, who is of Italian descent, is 85 and her mother Moya, of Irish descent, is 81.

In addition to being an athlete for most of her life — she’s been swimming since she was six — the Michigan-native is also an outstanding student. “[She posted] a 3.83 GPA in business,” Onlineathens.com quotes her coach Jack Bauerle as saying, “and was one of 12 women in the U.S. to win the $5,000 NCAA postgraduate award.”

Updated: 2008-06-17

(BEIJING, June 17) — Egypt’s Aya Medany, gold medalist in the 2007 Modern Pentathlon World Cup and the world’s second best in the event, said to Xinhua on June 17 that she is working very hard to prepare for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games with the hope of winning a medal.

On the same day, Medany, together with two other teammates who have obtained qualifications for the Beijing Olympic Games, was undergoing routine training in the Cairo International Stadium. The athlete said that she is in good form at present and is going through various trainings.

This is the second time Medany has obtained an admission ticket to the Olympic Games. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, Medany did not do exceptionally well because of her young age. However, in recent years, the athlete participated in several international events, such as the World Cup, World Championships and the African Championships, taking the title for many of them. The Egyptians have great expectations for her in the 2008 Games.