Welcome to the second edition of the Modern Pentathlon Magazine.
Modern Pentathlon has been a participating sport in the Olympic Games since 1912 when the founder of the Modern Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin’s desire to have a sport that “tested a man’s moral qualities as much as his physical resources and skills, producing thereby the ideal, complete athlete” was successfully agreed to at the 1th IOC Session in 1909. In this edition, we look at the Modern Pentathlete, their determination to succeed in the face of odds, their spirit to achieve their goals and the legacy Coubertin has created in this unique sport.
We speak with Sheila Taormina of the USA about her quest to become the first woman to compete in three different sports at the Olympic Games. Andrejus Zadneprovskis of Lithuania also opens up about his Olympic desire while reflecting on his career thus far and reminding us of Cobertin’s desire to have the complete athlete when he states that Modern Pentahtlon “nurtures wonderful people, who are strong physically and mentally. That helps a lot to find a place in life after sport”.
It is such that Modern Pentathletes are renowned for their strength of character and determination both on and off the sporting arena. Mauro Prosperi from the 1984 Italian Olympic Team demonstrated his incredible will power when he was lost in the desert for 9 days whilst competing in the gruelling ‘Marathon des Sables’. He recounts his story to us, highlighting that his survival was due in part, to the focus and determination to reach the final goal learnt in the practice of Modern Pentathlon.
Coubertin also felt that the Pentathlon should be a sport of education and culture, where the athlete has a balance between physical, mental and spiritual qualities. In this edition, we consider an artist’s interpretation of Coubertin’s “eurythme” concept of the sport as Richard Ennis unveils one of his pieces that is most symbolic of this ideal.
The photographs throughout this magazine are provided by Shoko Ogushi. She recalls her first impression of modern pentathletes likening them to “Prince Charmings...wearing elegant uniforms like actors in costume dramas” and her desire to photograph these athletes even though the modern pentathlon event pushes the boundaries of photographic representation in the genre of sport photography.
As you read these stories and more in the magazine, we hope you, the reader, will be inspired by the Modern Pentathlete, a person who is not only an accomplished athlete in five various sports, but a person with a spirit to succeed and give their utmost in life, truly “the complete athlete”.
We speak with Sheila Taormina of the USA about her quest to become the first woman to compete in three different sports at the Olympic Games. Andrejus Zadneprovskis of Lithuania also opens up about his Olympic desire while reflecting on his career thus far and reminding us of Cobertin’s desire to have the complete athlete when he states that Modern Pentahtlon “nurtures wonderful people, who are strong physically and mentally. That helps a lot to find a place in life after sport”.
It is such that Modern Pentathletes are renowned for their strength of character and determination both on and off the sporting arena. Mauro Prosperi from the 1984 Italian Olympic Team demonstrated his incredible will power when he was lost in the desert for 9 days whilst competing in the gruelling ‘Marathon des Sables’. He recounts his story to us, highlighting that his survival was due in part, to the focus and determination to reach the final goal learnt in the practice of Modern Pentathlon.
Coubertin also felt that the Pentathlon should be a sport of education and culture, where the athlete has a balance between physical, mental and spiritual qualities. In this edition, we consider an artist’s interpretation of Coubertin’s “eurythme” concept of the sport as Richard Ennis unveils one of his pieces that is most symbolic of this ideal.
The photographs throughout this magazine are provided by Shoko Ogushi. She recalls her first impression of modern pentathletes likening them to “Prince Charmings...wearing elegant uniforms like actors in costume dramas” and her desire to photograph these athletes even though the modern pentathlon event pushes the boundaries of photographic representation in the genre of sport photography.
As you read these stories and more in the magazine, we hope you, the reader, will be inspired by the Modern Pentathlete, a person who is not only an accomplished athlete in five various sports, but a person with a spirit to succeed and give their utmost in life, truly “the complete athlete”.
