The Modern Pentathlon was the brain child of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, and was based around the exploits of a Napoleonic military officer who, during the Franco-Prussian war of the 19th Century, was dispatched on horseback to deliver an urgent message. Riding across hilly, woody terrain behind enemy lines, he encountered a soldier with his sword drawn and after duelling him, his horse was shot by another soldier. The unlucky, but determined officer wheeled and shot the other soldier and continued on foot over the hostile, difficult terrain, until he came to a river which he had to swim across to finally deliver the message.Rather than stroking his chin in disbelief, de Coubertin instead devised a new event to test a contemporary warrior-athlete's mettle with the corresponding events of shooting, fencing, swimming, equestrian show jumping and cross-country running. Cut to 2001. Despite the absence of any black monoliths on the moon, we're now in a new modern age demanding a newer, moderner, pentathlon. The first Inner City Schools Modern Pentathlon took place at Brunel University, Borough Road Campus, Isleworth on March 20th. Seven schools took part in the event which began with a three minute swim, followed by darts (which replaced shooting), table tennis (instead of fencing), indoor rowing (instead of riding) and concluded with a 2,000 metre run. As most state schools lack facilities for shooting, riding and fencing, these alternatives allowed the youngsters a taste of the challenge of the Pentathlon, thus making up for the fact it's pretty tricky to think of a situation when a soldier would need to play table tennis and darts for his life. Overall Individual Winners: BOYS 1. Yorke O'Leary (Greycourt) 2. Craig McCluskie (Ashburton College) 3. William Vicar (Greycourt) GIRLS 1. Jessica Harvey (Greycourt) 2. Alice Ward (Greycourt) 3. Holly Latimer (Ashburton College) Best Indoor Rowers (Five minute piece): BOYS 1. Tamar Hassan (Battersea Tech) 1461m 2. Joseph Anthony (Hackney F&P) 1368m 3. Nathan Scott (Willesden High) 1352m GIRLS 1. Jessica Harvey (Greycourt) 1205m 2. Alice Ward (Greycourt) 1180m 3. Samantha Barret (Hackney F&P) 1131m