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Paper: The Gazette
Headline:Pentathlete gets back in the saddle/ Colorado Springs' Senior is
a model of perseverance
Date: 06/08/03
Section: SPORTS
Page: SP9
Byline: MERI-JO BORZILLERI; THE GAZETTE
Keys: PENTATHLON
Penrose Equestrian Center is a long way from Sydney,
and that's just fine with Chad Senior.
He's a modern Pentathlete and finished second in
the U.S. National Championships on Saturday at Penrose.
Senior, a Colorado Springs resident, is ranked No.
6 in the world in a sport most Americans don't know much about.
They should know about Senior.
Almost three years ago, Senior was having the day
of his life at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. After three
of five events (pistol shooting, fencing, swimming,
equestrian, running) of the pentathlon, Senior had
a commanding lead. No American had won Olympic gold
in the 107 years of modern pentathlon.
The lead was so big, said Senior's mom, international
pentathlon officials were jockeying for seats next
to the Senior family in the stands.
"Even before the ride I thought for sure I was
going to win," said Senior, who had taken up the sport
five years earlier with the Army's World Class Athlete Program.
"There was no reason for me to be doing that well
at that point anyway. I have the day of my career
fencing, and thought, 'This is fate, this is supposed
to happen.' "
Then, everything unraveled. His horse - picked
by lottery and whom Senior met just 20 minutes before
- balked at one jump, then another. It also clipped
two other jumps.
It was a disaster. Senior fell from first to eighth.
He tried to make up for it in the 3,000-meter run,
but the 27-second deficit was too much. He finished sixth.
"You can't be 200-300 points ahead and not win,"
said U.S. modern pentathlon spokeswoman Elaine Cheris
this week. "It's just not done. Is that a fluke or what? "
Senior lost sleep. He spent months getting over
his anger and bitterness.
"To lose the way I did is tough to deal with because
a certain part of that, in hindsight, I'm sure I could've
ridden the horse better. But in other parts of it,
I think a lot of it was out of my control," he said.
Senior, 28, still has trouble talking about it.
As an Olympian, he gets asked to speak at local schools.
He takes a deep breath and tells his tale of Olympic
failure in hopes the kids will see success.
"I say, 'Who's the bigger winner: the guy that
gets thrown off a horse and quits or the guy who gets
back on and sees what happens?' " Senior said. "It's
easy to walk away from things because you don't like
the outcome, or blame other factors besides yourself.
"And I think the real measure of a man is to get
knocked down and get slapped in the face and then confront it."
Senior could have quit the sport. He almost did
the year before Sydney, to become a triathlete. Now
he's more committed than ever.
"Either I have a hell of a lot of perseverance
or I'm an idiot," he said, laughing. "It's probably
a combination of both."
Saturday's event was the first to hand out points
toward 2004 Olympic qualifying.
On Saturday, Senior had an abysmal day fencing,
tying for 17th of 22 in his most shaky event. But
he won the swim and took 11th in the equestrian event.
It's OK. He's had worse days.
He's optimistic.
"If I have this kind of performance at worlds,
Olympics, Pan Am Games and couple that with a good
fencing day, I know I can win," Senior said.
MODERN PENTATHLON U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
What: Modern Pentathlon U.S. National Championships
and 2003 Colorado Open
When: Today, 8 a.m.-7:15 p.m.
Where: Olympic Training Center and Penrose Equestrian Center
Who: A U.S. and international field made up of
the top female competitors.
Schedule: 8 a.m. shooting (20 targets); 9:45 a.m.
fencing (round-robin); 1:40 p.m. swimming (200 meters),
all at the Olympic Training Center. Penrose Equestrian
Center -4:20 p.m. equestrian (350- to 400-meter course
with obstacles); 6:45 p.m. running (3,000 meters).
Why it's important: Event is the first where athletes
can earn points toward a 2004 Olympic berth.
Saturday's men's results:
1. Vaho Iagorashvili, Colorado Springs, 5,596;
2. Chad Senior, Colorado Springs, 5,268; 3. Samuel
Felix, Mexico, 5,228.
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Copyright © 2002, Cheyenne Fencing Society and Modern Pentathlon Center |