Jess Savner Does It All at Paris Olympics

By Wendy Carlson

Photo Courtesy of USAPM

She runs, she swims, she shoots. She flies over obstacles on horseback, and is a fierce fencing opponent. Jessica Savner, of Bethlehem is an über athlete. She excels at the five very different disciplines that make up the modern pentathlon. 

In August, she tested her mettle at the Paris Olympics, where she finished 14th in the five-event competition.

Qualifying for the games was a decade-long goal for the 32-year-old Savner. A former track-and-field star, prize-winning equestrian, and triathlete, she has always been inspired by athletes who tested the limits of a sport.

“I knew I wanted to be one of them, I just didn’t know which sport—until I found modern pentathlon,” says Savner, who believes that modern pentathletes are some of the best all-around athletes in the world. “There are so many moving parts. I get to explore every aspect of my athleticism every day, and there isn’t much that’s more gratifying,” she adds.

Modern Olympics founder Pierre de Coubertin devised the sport to show the complete athlete, combining five skills considered essential for a 19th-century cavalry soldier. After Paris, show jumping will be dropped from future Olympics, and replaced by a human obstacle course. With the change of the format, Savner is retiring to spend some much-needed down time with her husband.