The Modern Pentathlon underwent significant changes which culminates in London 2012. The top of the female podium, however, remains the same. Change to remain as she was before is the focus of Lena Schöneborn, the current Olympic champion and number 1 in the world ranking in this new old sport, which celebrates its Olympic centenary in the Great Britain’s Games.

About to turn 26, the Berlin’s athlete competes for the second gold medal in her second appearance in the world’s largest sporting event.  This would be a groundbreaking feat. The competition made its debut in Stockholm 1912 for men and did not include women until Sydney 2000. Until today, no woman has won the title twice.

Passing by Rio de Janeiro, where she competed in one of the stages of the Modern Pentathlon Cup held on the same stage which will host competitions in Rio 2016™, Schöneborn spoke about the start of her career, impacts of the changes on the rules which modernized the sport and expectations on the upcoming Olympic challenges. Check out the interview:

Tell us a little bit about how you began your sporting career.  It is a common fact that pentathletes start their careers with Swimming.  This was exactly your case, right?

I was a swimmer already.  My family had a strong connection with sports, all types of sports. When I was 14, I started practicing a little bit of the other disciplines, but Swimming was still my focus.  First, I used to focus on Fencing.  Then, I switched to Shooting. And after that, Equestrian. When I was 15, I concentrated mostly in Pentathlon.

What is the best way to encourage children to practice the Pentathlon, a complex sport which requires several types of equipment which are not always accessible?

You have to start gradually.  You do not have to buy all the material in the beginning, at once. For me, it took two or three years to have all my equipment for all sports.  It is also very important that you have a good coach who encourages you to train and develop your skills in all disciplines, someone who stimulates you and make things more fun.  Sports may lead you to very interesting places, it allows you to meet lots of different people.   This is very attractive for young people.

Where to start?

I think it is important to introduce different sports to children, to work with several sports. In London, for instance, you have clubs which allow children to practice several sports in the same space.  They introduce the Equestrian sports, but also Athletics and Swimming, for example. In Germany we work since the beginning practicing two or three sports at once, and gradually increase it according to the age. Youths discover their talents in several sports, developing a strong base in Swimming, which is key for the Pentathlon, so they have an opportunity to develop themselves.

At 22, you made your debut in the Olympic Games with an outstanding performance. What did change after the gold medal in Beijing 2008?

For me, it was incredible.  Several things have changed since then, especially in terms of partners and sponsors. Now I can practice sports on a professional basis. I used to have only a scholarship and my parents supported me. It was also great, but now I can get the funds myself.

For the new Olympic cycle, the sport has undergone two significant changes in the rules, with the inclusion of the laser pistol and the combined event (Shooting and Athletics will be competed in the same event).  How do you perceive this transformation?

Our sport has undergone significant changes since 2009.  Now, everyone has to start over, accept the challenge.  And not only the rules changed. Now we have people working with Marketing and a TV team covering the World Cup’s stages, for example. Several measures were taken, and it is difficult to analyse them in separate.  They were surely in the media’s spotlight. This is good for sports.

And from the athlete’s viewpoint, how was this adaptation?

For me as an athlete, changes came too suddenly.  I did not have the chance to have an initial adjustment period. There are problems happening here and there. It is improving every day, but we are still making progress. It can be quite frustrating for me sometimes. You go through situations when you don’t know where the problem is: you, your performance, and materials. I think it is very interesting to watch now, but I still face some difficulties as an athlete.

Despite these difficulties, you ended 2011 as number 1 in the world ranking. How will you prepare to London 2012?

This will be my second performance in the Olympic Games. My mind is open to live new things and be able to compare. The first was very impressive for me for everything I saw in Beijing, for winning the gold medal in my premiere! London presents a big challenge ahead, and I am curious to see what they will do. I think the British organisation is taking painstaking care. This will be great. We will find everything under perfect conditions.

Europe gathers the most traditional countries in the Modern Pentathlon...

All tickets to the Modern Pentathlon were sold very quickly!  I am really anxious to see this.  Many Europeans will travel to London to watch the competitions. It will be good for my family and my friends, as they will not have to travel so far. The only problem is to get tickets (laugh).

You have competed at the location which will host Rio 2016™ competitions in the Deodoro region. A temporary stadium will be built for the Games, but what about the existing space and venues?

The venues are good. The weather is very hot for us, Europeans, but this is not the point. This location is a bit far from the Central Area, but, with the police guard, we take around 35 minutes by bus. This is great. As for the organisation, here you find people who give you full support.  It is not easy to host such a major event. Things tend to be more difficult in the beginning. They get better every day, to be perfect at the end. It is important that people here want to help.  Also, Brazilians support everyone! This is amazing!  This is what we need for the Olympic Games.

How can the Olympic Games help in the development of the Modern Pentathlon both in Brazil and in South America?

You can achieve this with proper communication. This is a big challenge, to draw more attention from the public to this type of sport, which only calls the attention every four years, during the Olympic Games. This is a very good, very important chance. The Pentathlon needs to get the most from it.  Competitions like the World Cup, which held one leg here in 2012, are a sort of preparation. They present the sport to the local public as something that can be interesting to practice, and definitely interesting to watch in 2016.