olympics

From Berkshire League to Team USA

From Berkshire League to Team USA

Jess Davis placed fourth in the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. Above she is pictured in the fencing round, below in the 200m swim.

Contributed by Joe Kusumoto

BETHLEHEM — Nonnewaug High School alum Jess Davis is heading to the 2024 Olympic Games to represent Team USA in the modern pentathlon.

Davis hails from Bethlehem and punched her ticket to Paris after placing fourth in the modern pentathlon at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. She graduated from Nonnewaug in 2010 as a track and field star before attending Central Connecticut State University.

While still a student, Davis competed in pole vault for her high school and college track and field teams. She still holds the indoor record at CCSU with a cleared height of 2.90 meters, set in 2011.

Jess Davis, mid-left, stands with fellow track and field athletes from Nonnewaug High School in 2010.From 2010 Nonnewaug High School year book

With a triathlete father and an elite equestrian mother, Davis continued to pursue athletic achievement as a graduate. She prioritized triathlon training before gravitating to equine events.

Combining her talents, Davis began competing as a modern pentathlete. The unique athletic event has been part of the Olympics since 1912.

There are five disciplines in the modern pentathlon: fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The combination event is designed to mimic the skills needed by a soldier.

Jess Davis placed fourth in the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. Above she is pictured in the 200m swim.Contributed by Joe Kusumoto

Davis will begin her Olympic career when the pentathlon’s fencing round starts Aug. 8. The modern pentathlon will conclude with a medal ceremony Aug. 11 on the final day of the Paris Games.

The 2024 Olympics will be the last time the modern pentathlon is included in its current form.

Controversy over the event erupted during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics when a German coach struck a horse that was not cooperating. The German coach was thrown out of the games, and so was show jumping.

The Olympic Committee is still reviewing acceptable alternatives to replace the equestrian portion of the event for 2028.

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