Modern pentathlon: How the Olympic sport resembles the ideal skills of a soldier
Army reservist Second Lieutenant Kerenza Bryson is going for gold in the modern pentathlon at the Paris Olympics.
But did you know that Modern Pentathlon was designed and modelled with the skills of a soldier in mind?
Most sources credit Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who is best known as the father of the modern Olympic Games, as the creator of the modern pentathlon.
Coubertin created the contest to resemble the experience of a 19th century cavalry soldier behind enemy lines.
The soldier must ride an unfamiliar horse, fight their enemies with pistol and sword, swim and run to return to their own soldiers.
This exact scenario is exactly what modern pentathlon tests their athletes on, where they must complete multiple rounds of fencing, riding show jumping, a 200 metre freestyle swim and a laser run (a combined running and shooting round).
Modern pentathlon has played a continuous part in the summer Olympics since 1912, and it wasn't until the Sydney Games in 2000 that women's modern pentathlon was introduced.
The 2024 games will be the last time that the show jumping event will be included in modern pentathlon, as it will be replaced by a form of obstacle course racing ahead of the 2028 Olympic games in Los Angeles following years of criticism of the event's inclusion.
The British Army has enjoyed much success in the sport, with the biggest name being former Army captain Jim Fox, who won the gold medal at the Montreal Games in 1976.
The Army's most recent talent, 2Lt Bryson, who was introduced to modern pentathlon through her love for horses, is competing in her first-ever Olympic Games in Paris.
She is the newly crowned European Champion and the 2023 world championship bronze medallist and is currently ranked fifth in the world.
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