| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Peter Samuel Konrad Sacksen |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | March 1, 1986 Tucson, Arizona [1] |
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Modern pentathlon |
| Team | U.S. Olympic Training Center [1] |
| Coached by | Janusz Peciak |
Peter Samuel Konrad Sacksen (born March 1, 1986) is an American modern pentathlete from Somerset, Pennsylvania. [1] [2] He is currently ranked no. 56 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Born in Tucson, Arizona, Sacksen started out his sporting career at Rockwood High School in Rockwood, Pennsylvania, where he spent four years playing for the track and field and for the swimming team. After graduating from high school, he spent one academic year at the University of Pittsburgh, before he moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he worked as a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. He also resumed his studies in biology, and graduated with the Bachelor of Science degree in 2008. [1] During his college years, Sacksen trained to become a modern pentathlete with a slight experience in fencing and shooting, and eventually participated in local and international competitions, including the 2007 South American Championships, where he won a silver medal.
In the 2008 season, Sacksen took part in five World Cup circuits, and achieved two top-ten finishes. He reached into the international scene by competing at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, but did not advance past the semifinal. Sacksen made his official debut at the 2008 Summer Olympics after receiving and accepting an invitation by UIPM, competing in the men's modern pentathlon, along with Eli Bremer. Both he and Bremer, however, struggled to attain a higher position in the early rounds of the competition, with mediocre scores in pistol shooting and a one-touch épée fencing. In the end, Sacksen finished the event in eighteenth place, with a score of 5,280 points. [3]
After the 2008 Summer Olympics, Sacksen continued to improve his athletic performance, yet he achieved more top-ten finishes in the World Cup circuits for the individual and team-relay events. He finally attained his best result in his sporting career, when he finished sixth at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, which gave him an automatic qualifying berth for the next Olympics. In the same year, Sacksen also set a world shooting record for a fourth-place finish in the mixed relay event at the World Championships in Moscow, Russia. [4]
In April 2012, Sacksen, however, suffered a ligament injury, which was completely torn in his left ankle, at a training camp in Poland. Unable to compete at the World Championships, because of a severe ankle injury, Sacksen landed to thirty-eight place, and missed out of the national team for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. [5]
The modern pentathlon is an Olympic multisport that currently consists of fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, laser pistol shooting, and cross country running. Equestrian will be replaced by a form of obstacle course racing at the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Modern pentathlon competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were held on August 21 and August 22 at the Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, Ying Tung Natatorium (swimming), and the Olympic Green Convention Center. Modern pentathlon contained five events; pistol shooting, épée fencing, 200 m freestyle swimming, show jumping, and a 3 km cross-country run.
The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne, commonly known by the acronym UIPM, has been the international governing body of modern pentathlon since its foundation in London in 1948. Its headquarters are in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, and it has 115 national federation members in 2018 and 133 members in 2024. Modern pentathlon was introduced at the fifth Olympiad in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1912, comprising the contemporary sports of pistol shooting, fencing, swimming, horse riding and running, which embraced the spirit of its ancient counterpart.
Nicholas Lloyd Woodbridge is a British modern pentathlete. The modern pentathlon includes the disciplines of shooting, swimming, fencing, equestrian, and cross country running. Woodbridge competed for Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics, in Beijing, China, and finished 25th in the men's modern pentathlon. He also competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. where he finished in 10th place despite being ranked 3rd in the world. In 2013 he achieved his best career result when he took the silver medal in the World Championships.
Samuel Weale is a British modern pentathlete who has competed at the Olympic Games. Weale competed for Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics, in Beijing, China, and finished 10th in the men's modern pentathlon. He also competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. His identical twin Chris is a retired professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Monica Pinette is a two-time Olympic modern pentathlete from Canada. She is one of the first female Canadian modern pentathletes, and the only indigenous athlete of (Métis) to compete at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Her 13th-place finish overall at the 2004 Summer Olympics was Canada's best recorded performance in the modern pentathlon to date.
Aleksander Leonidovich Lesun is a Belarusian-born naturalized Russian modern pentathlete. He is a multiple-time medalist at the World and European Championships, and was a top-ranked male modern pentathlete in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Leila Gyenesei is a Hungarian modern pentathlete and cross-country skier. She is a five-time medalist at the World Championships, and is currently ranked no. 19 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM). She is also the daughter of István Gyenesei, former Minister of Local Government and chairman of the Association for Somogy party.
Jean Maxence Berrou is a French modern pentathlete. He is also a two-time champion at World Cup circuits, two-time silver medalist at the European Junior Championships, and is currently ranked no. 26 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
John Zakrzewski is a French modern pentathlete. He is currently ranked no. 179 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Bartosz Majewski is a Polish modern pentathlete. He won a silver medal for the relay at the 2010 European Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, and is currently ranked no. 63 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Marcin Horbacz is a Polish modern pentathlete. He is also a two-time champion at the 2007 and 2009 World Cup circuit, and is currently ranked no. 106 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Lucie Grolichová is a Czech modern pentathlete. She is a six-time medalist at the World Championships.
Nam Dong-Hong is a South Korean modern pentathlete. He is also a silver medalist at the 2008 Korean Open & Asian Championships in Seoul, and is currently ranked no. 123 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Yun Cho-Rong is a South Korean modern pentathlete. She also won a gold medal for the women's individual event at the 2006 Asian Modern Pentathlon Championships in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Andrea Valentini is an Italian modern pentathlete. He won a bronze medal in the men's team event at the 2004 World Championships in Moscow, Russia. Valentini is a member of the modern pentathlon team for Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Azzurre, and is coached and trained by Luigi Filipponi.
Karla Marlene Sánchez Rodríguez is a Mexican modern pentathlete. She is currently ranked no. 82 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Angie Darby is an Australian modern pentathlete. As of August 2011, Darby was ranked no. 141 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Charles Fernandez is a Guatemalan modern pentathlete. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the men's event and finished fifteenth. Fernandez won the men's modern pentathlon at the 2015 Pan American Games. He also won a gold medal at the World Junior Championships. Fernandez has competed in three World Modern Pentathlon Championships as well as multiple youth and junior world championships and a Central American and Caribbean Games.
The modern pentathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris took place during 8 to 11 August 2024 at the Palace of Versailles and the Arena Paris Nord. The Palace of Versailles hosted all the modern pentathlon events, with the only exclusion being the fencing ranking rounds, which occurred at the North Paris Arena. Two events were contested, one for men and another for women.