The women's modern pentathlon semi-final consists of three events, bringing together 4 sporting disciplines: fencing (bonus-round), swimming and laser-run (running + shooting).
The modern pentathlon combines four events from five sports:
Swimming, with a 200m freestyle
Fencing, starting with a ranking tournament in the form of one-minute matches against all the other athletes. Depending on their ranking in this tournament, the athletes then enter a bonus fencing event, which takes the form of a knockout tournament. The bouts last 30 seconds, and each victory adds a bonus point to the athlete's score in the ranking event.
Horse-riding, with a show-jumping course on an unfamiliar horse drawn by the athlete twenty minutes before the start of the event.
Running and shooting, with a laser-run in which athletes run and shoot at five targets at a distance of ten metres.
The modern pentathlon is contested in two stages: firstly, athletes score points according to their ranking in the fencing, riding and swimming events, which determines their starting order in the laser-run. In the laser-run, athletes start behind the leader by a number of points. The first athlete to cross the laser-run finish line wins the gold medal. Because of the diversity of its events, the modern pentathlon is an extremely demanding sport, requiring athletes to have great mental and physical strength, as well as extraordinary versatility.
Swimming, with a 200m freestyle
Fencing, starting with a ranking tournament in the form of one-minute matches against all the other athletes. Depending on their ranking in this tournament, the athletes then enter a bonus fencing event, which takes the form of a knockout tournament. The bouts last 30 seconds, and each victory adds a bonus point to the athlete's score in the ranking event.
Horse-riding, with a show-jumping course on an unfamiliar horse drawn by the athlete twenty minutes before the start of the event.
Running and shooting, with a laser-run in which athletes run and shoot at five targets at a distance of ten metres.
The modern pentathlon is contested in two stages: firstly, athletes score points according to their ranking in the fencing, riding and swimming events, which determines their starting order in the laser-run. In the laser-run, athletes start behind the leader by a number of points. The first athlete to cross the laser-run finish line wins the gold medal. Because of the diversity of its events, the modern pentathlon is an extremely demanding sport, requiring athletes to have great mental and physical strength, as well as extraordinary versatility.
