Teen pentathlete Kari Hillebrand wins Bronze for SA on World stage

JOHANNESBURG - South African pentathlete Kari Hillebrand and her teammate Johan Schoeman have clinched a bronze medal at the U19 World Pentathlon Relay Championships in Egypt, a historic podium finish in a demanding sport that combines fencing, obstacle course racing, swimming and the laser run.

“I feel really proud of myself, as it is always a huge challenge to achieve on an international stage. It gives me hope when I think of what I can achieve in the years to come. My fencing did not start off great, but my partner, Johan Schoeman, motivated me and we had a great team spirit. Our Lazer Run, the last discipline, was really excellent, and helped us to keep our third position. We were both so happy and amazed when we finished, because we knew it was a long shot to go for a podium,” said Hillebrand.

The July event was a dress rehearsal for the  Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, which will be the first to feature the new-look Modern Pentathlon with obstacle making its debut and Fencing held according to the Direct Elimination system.

Talking to Eyewitness News, Hillebrand said the Pentathlon Relay follows the same sequence as a normal  Pentathlon which is fencing, obstacle course racing, swimming, laser run(a combination of running and shooting with a laser pistol).

The difference being that in Pentathlon Relays one has a partner and both participate in each discipline, but for swimming and running each athlete does half the distance.

“My favourite sport is the Lazer Run. I have come a long way with this discipline, since I previously competed in the Biathle and Triathle World Championships (Triathle contains a laser run and swimming), which are development sports for Modern Pentathlon.”

Hillebrand also shared the risky side of the sport a well as the mental health struggles she experienced after suffering a hip injury.

“About a year ago, I suffered a serious hip injury, and could not train running for 8 months. I missed it so much, and actually felt quite depressed.  This year, my hip recovered, and I started to become fit and strong again, and could push much harder. It made me feel so much more determined, and I enjoy training again.  Running has a very good psychological effect on me.”

The grade 11 pupil from Elkanah House, Cape Town, said her next goal is to achieve Protea Colours in Biathle and Triathle as the World Champs for these disciplines will be in South Africa for the first time in history this year.

“I actually would love more South Africans to participate in the development of sports, and for the sport to grow. Modern Pentathlon is still in its infancy in South Africa, but we have the athletes to produce Olympians in the sport in the future.”

The 17-year-old balances school and sport by planning ahead and completing schoolwork ahead of time.

“I am a bit of a perfectionist.  The key is to be organised - It has made it easier for me to fit schoolwork into a busy schedule. I stay on track with all work assignments and plan far ahead for everything, in order to complete it all in time. In school, I always want to do my ultimate best, so I work very hard to get good marks, while still doing the sports that I love.  I often do homework during breaks at school or attend extra classes.”