SPRINGDALE — Even if Margaux Isaksen wasn’t this nation’s top modern pentathlete, you would be impressed by her. At 15, she’s already 5-10, taller than many of the adults standing next to her. She’s also remarkably mature, easily engaging in conversation with men and women twice her age.
Then there is the drive she has, the competitive will her instructors say will lead her to the Olympics by 2012 and has already steered her to national titles in the youth, junior and senior levels.
It’s this determination that has made the former Ramay Junior High track athlete a success in modern pentathlon, a sport that encompasses five unique events — pistol shooting, epee fencing, riding (equestrian show jumping, swimming (200 meters ) and cross-country running (3, 200 meters ).
“ You’ve got to be strong, you’ve got to have endurance, you’ve got to have focus and you’ve got to be a heck of an athlete, ” said Neal Picken, the founder of the Arkansas Fencing Academy who introduced Isaksen to modern pentathlon. “ This girl has it. ”
Starting Wednesday, Isaksen will be competing in the modern pentathlon senior world championships in Berlin — just a month after appearing in Sports Illustrated’s “ Faces in the Crowd ” section. In many ways, Isaksen’s journey that has led her to the German capital has been nothing short of remarkable.
“ It just kind of snowballed, ” Isaksen said. “ And here I am. ”
It was two years ago when Isaksen first came to Picken to inquire about fencing instruction. When Picken learned of Isaksen’s horseriding background and participation in cross country and track, he knew of another sport that would suit her perfectly.
According to Picken, Isaksen had all the traits necessary to be a standout in modern pentathlon. She was tall, thin and the daughter of two former athletes. Her mother, Kathleen West, was a runner. Her father, Tommy Isaksen, who died of cancer when she was just two, played soccer before becoming a cruise ship captain.
Isaksen had the genes. And her athleticism was evident last year at Class 7 A state cross country championships, when she finished second in the meet as a freshman.
“ She was a natural, ” Picken said.
Nadia Paunov, who coached Isaksen at the Arkansas Fencing Academy, agreed.
“ She’s a unique athlete, ” Paunov said. “ She has a very good build. In this, you have to have very good physical condition. She already had it. ”
As Picken saw it, Isaksen would just need some additional training and devotion to sport to succeed in modern pentathlon.
“ It’s not something you can get into easily, ” Isaksen said. “ Running and swimming are common. But it’s expensive with fencing, shooting and the riding. ”
In competition, Isaksen uses a gun that costs more than $ 2, 000, and the equipment she uses in fencing totaled between $ 3, 000 and $ 4, 000. Then there are additional expenses, such as instructional sessions. Picken calls it a sport of opportunity and Isaksen said it’s difficult to dispute that.
“ It’s kind of different, ” she said. “ It’s not something you can get into easily. ”
But Isaksen said she was determined to succeed at modern pentathlon, especially after a poor performance at the world youth championships in Rome last September.
“ It was an eye opener, ” Isaksen said. “ I realized how much I needed to improve. I understood what kind of caliber these other girls are. I hadn’t learned to push myself yet. ”
Not long after graduating from Ramay this May, Isaksen moved up to the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. This is where she will live for the foreseeable future.
After years of public school, she will now take courses online as she looks to complete her high school degree while at the same time making an even bigger commitment to modern pentathlon.
“ When you’re up there, you’re there to train — not to have a life, ” she said. “ That’s the harsh reality of it. ”
On some days, she will crawl out of bed at 4: 30 a. m. to work out with athletes who are older and more experienced than she is. She will then head to a shooting range before going on a long run. Then it’s off to a twohour fencing workout before some swimming and horseback riding.
By the time the day is over, Isaksen is understandably tired. However, she says all the practice hasn’t gone to waste.
“ I was really excited the hard work paid off, ” Isaksen said. “ Since then, it’s been great. It’s just made be want to push myself harder. ”
Unfortunately for Isaksen, though, she probably won’t be able to compete in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The United States team selects its representatives based on the International Pentathlon Point System, which is calculated over a two-year period.
Isaksen, however, hasn’t competed long enough to reach the qualifying standard. Despite being the U. S. champion, she will likely be sitting at home, watching the next Olympics.
So she will head to the world championships to make a statement. “ She will be our national champion and not get to go to Beijing, ” Picken said, shaking his head. “ The point system was established to select a team based on two years of experience. And her success has come within the last year. So she’s not going to have enough points to go. ” Picken, however, says he expects Isaksen to shine at the world championships. His early prediction is that Isaksen will finish in the Top 16 after she won the Open Junior Championships in Poland last week. It was in this competition that Isaksen once again showed the drive that has made her a champion. Trailing after four events, she overcame her deficit in the points standings when she beat her next closest competitor in the run by 30 seconds. “ I can’t say I ever realistically I thought I would be this high, ” Isaksen said. “ But I set my sights high. I knew I wanted to be at the top some day. ” At 15, she already is.
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