Modern pentathlete Kate French, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, has said the sport is fine as it is amid rising clamor for change after a controversial event at the games.
Rules state that riders are only introduced to their horses 20 minutes before the event starts. This makes it difficult for riders to bond with their horses, something that has been blamed for chaotic scenes during the event in Tokyo.
However, French, who competes for Team GB, has said the sport does not need to change.
Advertisement
"Personally I don't think it needs to be changed. The response we have had for this Olympics has been really good and I think it works great as it is.
"People really did enjoy it. It was the first time it had been in one stadium which I thought looked amazing.
"There were people saying that they haven't watched modern pentathlon before and lots of people thought it was really good to watch and see in one place." she told the Daily Telegraph.
One major overhaul that is set to go ahead is the event will now be shrunk from five hours to 90 minutes, decreasing the time athletes will have between events.
Currently, pentathletes have 15 minutes to get ready for each event but soon they will only have a third of that, a challenging aspect considering the changes needed from sports such as equestrian and fencing.
Advertisement
"The short time between disciplines will make a huge difference in terms of getting nutrition in and having enough energy.
"The biggest challenge is going to be the changeovers because there is a lot of kit to get sorted." French said.
French went on to express her sympathy for Schleu, but said that, unfortunately, getting a difficult horse is just part of the event.
"She had it really tough.
"The horse had a bad ride in the first round. I think anyone would have struggled to put that horse right. I've never seen that happen before."
Advertisement
{{}}
NewsletterSIMPLY PUT - where we join the dots to inform and inspire you. Sign up for a weekly brief collating many news items into one untangled thought delivered straight to your mailbox.