The riding element - in which athletes are paired with unfamiliar horses - came in for criticism at Tokyo 2020 after a German coach was sent home for punching a horse whose refusal eliminated leader Anika Schleu from the competition. Chloe Esposito of Australia won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics but did not defend her title at Tokyo this year because she had a baby in late 2020. It was first held at the 1912 Stockholm Games, with the women’s event added at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
In the final event, athletes complete four circuits shooting five targets from a distance of 10 meters within 50 seconds using a laser pistol, and running 800 meters.
The modern pentathlon consists of fencing, a 200-meter freestyle swim, show jumping and a final combined event of laser shooting and cross-country running. “In Australia, and other regions around the world, the riding discipline can be a barrier to participation for new athletes considering starting our sport and it can also be challenging for event organizers to source the right number and quality of horses for competitions.' “Our sport is built on tradition and (horse) riding has been part of our sport at the Olympics since 1912 however our sport has evolved considerably in recent years, and we will continue to support further evolution of modern pentathlon,” the Australian group said in a statement.
