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USA Pentathlon Announces Nominees to the 2007 United States Pan American Games Team
By Cecil Bleiker // U.S. Oumpics Committee // June 16, 2007
For Immediate Release
June 15, 2007
USA Pentathlon Announces Nominees to the 2007 United States Pan American Games Team
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Pentathlon announced today its nominees to the 2007 United States Pan American Games Team. The 2007 Pan American Games will be held, July 13-29 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The modern pentathlon competition is scheduled to take place, July 23-24 at the Modern Pentathlon Center.
Representing the United States of America in the sport of modern pentathlon at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil will be:
Women:
Sheila Taormina (Livonia, Mich./Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Michelle ”Mickey” Kelly (Chatham, N.Y./Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army)
Men:
Dennis Bowsher (Dallas, Texas/Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army)
Eli Bremer (Monument, Colo./Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Air Force)
Head Coach: Janusz Peciak (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Riding Coach: Michael Cintas (Rancho Mirage, Calif.)
Team Leader: Scott Novack (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
All 2007 United States Pan American Games Team nominations are subject to final acceptance by the United States Olympic Committee Board of Directors.
The four athletes representing the United States will enter the 2007 Pan American Games with the first opportunity to qualify themselves for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, as the top male and female finisher among the NORCECA (North American) countries will earn an automatic bid to the 2008 Olympic Games. Similarly, the top male and female finisher among the South American countries will also earn an automatic bid to Beijing. Athletes who do not qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games at the 2007 Pan American Games will also have opportunities to qualify at the 2007 World Modern Pentathlon Championships, the 2007 World Cup Final and through World Cup ranking points. The United States can qualify a maximum of two female and two male athletes for the 2008 Olympic Games.
Sheila Taormina will be attempting to make history by qualifying for her fourth U.S. Olympic Team in an unprecedented third sport. She has already competed in the Olympic Games in the sports of swimming and triathlon. She won a gold medal in swimming at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., swimming the third leg of the 800m freestyle relay. She finished sixth and 23rd, respectively, in the triathlon at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Taormina’s top modern pentathlon World Cup performance came in March 2007 when she won the silver medal at World Cup #2 in Cairo, Egypt.
Bowsher, Bremer and Kelly will be shooting for their first U.S. Olympic Team. Bowsher enters with high hopes having won the silver medal at World Cup #5 in Drzonkow, Poland. Bremer’s top performance this season was a 16th place finish at World Cup #4 in Budapest, Hungary, while Kelly won the bronze medal in the first World Cup stop of the season in Mexico City, Mexico.
The 2007 Pan American Games will be the first Pan American Games in the sport of modern pentathlon for each of the four athletes. Taormina competed in the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in triathlon, winning the silver medal.
For more information, please contact Cecil Bleiker, United States Olympic Committee NGB Services Manager at 719-866-4608. This press release is also available on the USOC’s media specific website at www.usocpressbox.org.
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