News

Allen earns Olympic berth at Pan American Games
Date Posted: 6/21/2004

By Tim Hipps
USACFSC Public Affairs

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- First Lt. Anita Allen became the first member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program to earn a berth in the 2004 Summer Olympics by winning the women's modern pentathlon Aug. 11 in Pan American Games XIV.

Allen won the gold medal in the grueling, five-sport, day-long event with 5,268 points. Brazil's Samantha Harvey, one of Allen's neighbors in Colorado Springs, Colo., won the silver medal with 5,256 points, and Olympian Mary Beth Iagorashvili of Munkwanago, Wis., took the bronze with 5,220 points.

Allen, 25, a member of the medical service corps from Star City, Ind., dedicated her emotional victory to West Point classmate 1st Lt. Leif Nott, who was killed July 30 during an attack on U.S. forces in Iraq.

"The entire time I was thinking 'This is for Leif, this is for Leif. I'm gonna do it," said Allen, who finished second in shooting, 11th in fencing, sixth in swimming, second in equestrian riding and first in cross-country running during the grueling one-day event.

Nott never was far from Allen's mind Monday as she lowered her personal best in the swim by six seconds and delivered the equestrian ride of her life aboard Carmia, who minutes earlier refused three jumps, posted several knockdowns and threw Mexico's Karina Morales to the ground.

Allen finished runner-up to Canada's Monica Pinette in shooting and then struggled in fencing, starting 0-6 before regrouping for nine victories and 13 defeats in two matches against each competitor.

"At least I salvaged some momentum to take to the pool," she said.

Allen began swimming toward gold with a time of 2 minutes, 27.19 seconds in the 200-meter freestyle, good for 1,156 points.

"Everything felt so easy in the water. I PR'd by six seconds," she said of her personal best in the event.

Little did Allen know the best was yet to come.

In the equestrian event, she scored 1,172 points with a magnificent ride aboard Carmia, who knocked just one rail to the ground.



"Pushing horses forward and feeling horses that are going to refuse [jumps] doesn't always come naturally to me; I haven't spent enough time in the saddle," admitted Allen, who has been riding, fencing, swimming and shooting competitively for just 25 months. "I kept growling at him in between the jumps and yelling at him to keep going. I didn't feel comfortable taking my hand off the reins to give him a tap, so I just used voice aids to scare him into jumping. I held on with both hands the whole way, and I had a nice set of spurs that helped, too.

"That was my most memorable ride," she added.

Allen, who wore a black armband in Nott's honor much of the day, entered the final event 42 seconds behind leader Katia Rodriguez of Cuba for the staggered start of the 3,000-meter cross-country run, Allen's strongest event.

"I did still have my ace in the hole," said Allen, who was named MVP in cross country and captain of her track team at West Point. "I am a strong runner."

Rodriguez, silver medalist Samantha Harvey of Brazil, bronze medalist Mary Beth Iagorashvili of Team USA and Pinette all started the run in front of Allen, who closed the 200-meter gap on the final loop around the outside of the equestrian center.

Allen won the running event with a time of 10:44.45. Canada's Kara Grant, who finished fifth in the modern pentathlon, was second on the run in 11:11.40. Harvey, who started the run second, 27 seconds ahead of Allen, finished three seconds behind her.

"When I got to the starting line, all I could think was 'Leif, help me out here. I'm thinking a lot of you, and this is for you. If I can do it, we'll do it together,'" Allen recalled with tears welling in her eyes. "And I really, really think -- I'm one to believe that people watch over you -- that we were going to do it together, and sure enough, we did. And it was the greatest feeling.”

Allen got help from other quarters as well. U.S. teammate Iagorashvili kept Allen's spirit thriving when she was struggling in fencing, as did fencing coach Elaine Cheris. Dr. Gary Wood provided breathing exercises that helped Allen combat allergies in the pool.

Equestrian coach Shane Brasher eased her fears of the skittish horse. Army World Class Athlete Program teammate 1st Lt. Chad Senior, another modern pentathlete who stayed out of the heat most of the day because he was competing the next day, appeared out of nowhere to coax her around the cross-country course.

"Once I saw Samantha and the Cuban girl [on the run], I thought: 'I can do this,' " Allen said. "I was so lucky to have my teammate, Chad Senior, on the backside because he was telling me how many seconds I was gaining on the Cuban girl. He was really my savior on the run."

And Team USA modern pentathlon coach Janusz Peciak was in Allen's ear all day.

"I had a lot of angels helping me today," admitted Allen, who then praised the Army World Class Athlete Program.

"I can't think WCAP enough," she said. "They're the ones who found me and introduced me to the sport. I always wanted to go to the Olympics, but I knew that in track and field and cross country I just wasn't going to cut it. But I just happened to be at the right spot at the right time and got introduced to the right person, and they made my dreams come true. They really did. There's no way I could ever do this sport without them.”

Link for more info: http://www.armyWCAP.com

Contact Person: Tim.Hipps@cfsc.army.mil