Modern Pentathlon has given ‘great experiences’ to Schomberg athlete

August 19, 2015 · 0 Comments

Schomberg’s Beatrice Cigagna and Rockland’s Garnett Stevens competed in the Pentathlon Junior World Championships in Mexico recently.
Photo by Pentathlon Canada

By Jake Courtepatte
Outside of its base in Europe, the name “modern pentathlon” doesn’t seem so modern to most sports fans.
The ironman (or woman) sort has dwindled in popularity since its introduction to the Olympics in 1912, yet remains one of the most physically-demanding challenges out there.
Schomberg native Beatrice Cigagna is one of those who continue to put hours and hours of work into her sport, one which has actually taken her around the world.
Cigagna, whose father Remo is the treasurer of Pentathlon Canada, competed recently on home soil with a third-place finish at the Ontario Modern Pentathlon Championships held in Fergus. She was fresh off a 14th-place finish in a challenging international field at the International German Championships, and recently returned from Mexico from the World Juniors.
“Pent has allowed me to travel to places I otherwise wouldn’t go,” said the 19-year-old who attends Queen’s University in Kingston.
The World Juniors were perhaps the biggest stage of her athletic career so far, said Cigagna.
“It was such a huge pool of international talent. Those kinds of competitions are good because they really push you to do your best.”
Due to the diversity of the sports involved in the competition, the amount of time required for training can certainly build up. Depending on schoolwork, Cigagna usually trains between three and four hours a day. And as an engineering student, time management can be difficult.
“There’s a lot that goes into it, you really have to put in the work.”
In those moments, she says her motivation is to imagine life without all the great experiences pentathlon has given her.
When the sport was introduced to the world over 100 years ago, the concept was that the athletes would mirror the abilities of a good soldier: shooting, fencing, swimming, running, and horseback riding. Cigagna became involved through her connection to the Pony Club.
When asked what her strongest of the diverse events was, she admitted that while fencing may not be her best, she can see herself pursuing it as a hobby in the future.
“Fencing is great because as you get better, you face more interesting challenges.”
As for her future in the sport, Cigagna finds pride in being one of only about 300 pentathlon participants in all of Canada, but hopes to see it grow in popularity.
“It’s tough when you have to pay for everything yourself … but it’s worth it.”