COLORADO SPRINGS — The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum is hosting demonstrations of the shooting portion of the modern pentathlon, which utilizes laser pistols. Guests have a chance to learn about the sport from the High Performance Director for USA Pentathlon as well as test their own aim.
The modern pentathlon consists of fencing, swimming, horse riding, running and shooting; with the running and shooting portions of the event taking place at the same time.
During the running/shooting portion, athletes shoot their five targets and then run 800 meters, going through the process a total of four times.
According to Genadijus Sokolovas, the High Performance Director for USA Pentathlon, the world record for shooting all five targets in a round is 5.7 seconds.
The switch from actual firearms to laser pistols was made during the 2012 Summer Games.
The laser pistol demonstrations will continue Friday from 10:00 am through 2:00 pm.
Organizers and experts have made it clear that the demonstrations are intended to help connect onlookers to the Tokyo games, provide insight into the journey of being a highly competitive athlete, and inspire others to try their hand at the various sports on display.
To learn more about the sport you can CLICK HERE.
