The Rio 2016 modern pentathlon test event saw the return of an Olympic champion who aims to get back in among medals this year. David Svoboda, the London 2012 gold medallist and former world no.1, has had a hard time in recent years. Injuries left him unable to compete, causing a nosedive the rankings, down to 19th. But this weekend at Deodoro Olympic Park the amiable Czech competed in a top-level competition for the first time since August 2015

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Twenty-year-old Korean Jun Woongtae topped the podium but for Svoboda, who finished in 16th, the second stage of the UIPM 2016 World Cup was not about results. “This is all about training, testing, looking around and getting information,” said the 30-year-old, adding that he “missed virtually two seasons” because of stress fracture in his left leg and muscle problems in his back that were difficult to diagnose and caused him psychological stress too.

“Now I’m healthy again and there are five months to go until the only real target of this season – of the last four years – the Olympic Games” 

London 2012 champion David Svoboda

Svoboda, who is in the Czech Army and studying PE at Prague’s Charles University, said his performance in Rio had been a little better than he expected. “I am very happy about that, but I also know that my shape has to improve for the Olympics. My goal is to be in the top-10 again and the dream is to win a medal. I will do everything I can to be at 100 per cent and hopefully all the work will pay off on the one day of Olympic competition.”

Svoboda showed his passion for Rio on his Instagram account

If Svoboda needed any extra motivation, the Olympic host city seems set to provide it. “This is my fourth or fifth time in Rio and I really like Latin America and Brazil especially, it feels close to my soul,” he said, before complimenting the renovated venues – Deodoro Stadium, the Youth Arena and the Deodoro Aquatics Centre – which staged the test event and will host the Olympic competition.

“The venues are perfect. I have competed here before and it has improved a lot”

David Svoboda

Svoboda became something of a celebrity in his homeland after winning the Olympic title, with his good looks also making him a modern pentathlon pin-up. Not that this is something that he ever took seriously. “After London some people started to see me as something of a symbol, but I was only famous for a few months,” he said. “It’s not very significant for me and now it’s over. I think that smart people don’t take it very seriously.”

Still single and childless, the Czech will turn 31 on 19 March and said he only plans to compete for “two more seasons maximum” after Rio 2016. “Until now I have been focused on sport, after that the possibilities for a family life will be there,” adding with a laugh that he was fond of Brazilian girls.

Svoboda crosses the line to take gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Photo: Getty Images/Quinn Rooney)

With planet’s best modern pentathletes in town, world no.7 Woongtae, last year’s UIPM Champion of Champions, emerged from a strong field to win the men’s event on Sunday. Egypt’s Omar El Geziry took silver, while London 2012 bronze medallist Adam Marosi of Hungary came in third.

Woongtae confirmed his status as an Olympic medal contender by winning the test event (Photo: Brasil2016/André Motta)

The women’s event on Sunday had been completed under a dramatic tropical storm, with Italy’s Claudia Cesarini (who is ranked 57th in the world), maintaining her focus during the decisive shooting-riding combined finale to take gold, ahead of Germany’s world no.2 Lena Schoneborn and Russia’s world no.4 Donata Rimsaite, while home favourite Yane Marques failed to capitlise on setting out first in the decisive event, coming in ninth.

Claudia Cesarini started third in the combined event but finished with gold (Photo: Rio 2016)

Gladiators

The test event also gave a taste of one of modern pentathlon’s innovations that will make its Olympic debut at the Rio 2016 Games. The fencing bonus round, competed outdoors after the swimming event and before the horse riding and running combined section, was created to make the sport more exciting for spectators.

While the majority of fencing points are won during the ranking round that takes place indoors the day before – when each competitor jousts against every other entrant and multiple duels happen at the same time – the bonus round sees all the attention focused on one duel at a time. The last-ranked fencer battles the second last, with the victor continuing against the next-ranked competitor and so on until they reach the top-ranked fencer, with a bonus point up for grabs in each duel.

Rob Stull, CEO of USA Pentathlon, competed at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games and said the new phase made the Olympic competition more exciting. “The athletes are presented one by one, and all the attention is on that one duel. The athlete feels like a gladiator.”

The new fencing bonus round takes place under cover but outdoors (Photo: Rio 2016)