The weekend was full of excitement at Deodoro Sports Complex, in Rio de Janeiro’s West Zone, a site that will receive the second Rio 2016™ Games Olympic Park. Seven Olympic medallists, including Yane Marques from Brazil, out of 135 athletes from 25 countries took part in the second phase of the Modern Pentathlon World Cup, one of the most dynamic sporting events at the moment, which includes fencing, swimming and equestrian events as well as the shooting and running tandem event.

The President of the Organising Committee for the Rio 2016™Olympic and Paralympic Games, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, and the President of the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM in French), Klaus Schormann, followed the whole competition carefully. “We are very pleased to be in the next Olympic city for this year’s second World Cup qualifier. The athletes are very excited to compete in the 2016 Games surroundings”, Schormann said, before the competition started.

Fourth place in the London 2012 Olympic Games, Margaux Isaksen, from the USA, scored a total of 5,268 points and beat the current Olympic champion, Laura Asadauskaite (5,224), from Lithuania, and Zsofia Foldhazi (5,176), from Hungary. Bronze in London and in the first phase of the World Cup, Yane Marques finished 13th, behind another Brazilian, Priscila Oliveira, who finished 11th. Amanda Turute, Andressa Lima, Bianca Cavalcanti, Brenna Lima, Larissa Lellys and Stephany Saraiva also took part in the competition.

In the men’s competition, London Games bronze medallist and twice world champion (2009 and 2011) Adam Marosi scored 5,768 points and won the title. Denis Cerkovskis (5,716), from Latvia, and Valentin Prades (5,660), from France, completed the podium. The current Olympic champion, David Svoboda, from the Czech Republic, did not make it to the podium. None of the 11 Brazilians competitors secured a place at the finals, which involved the 36 best pentathletes out of 72 competitors, and that took place on Saturday. Danilo Fagundes, from Rio de Janeiro, finished 40th while Daniel Velasques, from Pernambuco, finished 50th.

In 2016, Deodoro Region will host the equestrian, shooting, modern pentathlon, BMX cycling and mountain bike, basketball, hockey and rugby competitions. The venues of the Coronel Eric Tinoco Marques Modern Pentathlon Park, inside the Deodoro Sports Complex, were built to host the Rio 2007 Pan American Games and will be enlarged in order to host the Olympic competitions. 

Samantha Harvey and Yane Marques pose with the commemorative plaque they received as a tribute to their accomplishments (Photo: Bruno Carvalho/Ministério do Esporte)

A tribute to Samantha Harvey and Yane Marques

Last Friday, here was a tribute to the two greatest Brazilian female pentathletes of all times. Samantha Harvey received a plaque to celebrate ten years since she won the silver medal in the Santo Domingo Pan American Games, in 2003, and Yane Marques, for her bronze medal in the London Olympic Games. “The Rio 2016™ Games will be good not only for pentathlon, but for all sports”, Yane said. She received the commemorative plaque from the President of the Brazilian Modern Pentathlon Confederation (CBPM in Portuguese), Hélio Meirelles.

It was in 2003 that Yane chose modern pentathlon over swimming, a discipline that was only introduced very recently in Brazil, the Brazilian Modern Pentathlon Confederation (CBPM in Portuguese) was only created in 2001. “Samantha serves as inspiration for us athletes. The history of pentathlon in Brazil started with her. I’m only a follower”, said the athlete from the small town of Afogados da Ingazeira in the State of Pernambuco.

A modern pentathlon precursor in Brazil, Samantha is currently literature teacher in the US and has already booked her flight to be back in the Marvellous City in August 2016. “The sports programme in Brazil is very well-done. I realise there is more investment and strategy now than in my time. There are more opportunities to grow. It’s a great sign for the future. I believe Brazil will grow even more and the 2016 Games will be wonderful”, she commented.