Last but Not Least, Modern Pentathlon

LONDON — With only two days left in the London Games, most sports have handed out some medals by now. But for modern pentathlon, perhaps the most unusual sport on the Olympic program, not so fast.
For the past 100 years, competitors have tested their mettle in this five-part series of contests designed to identify a well-rounded athlete. They fence, they go for a swim, they ride a horse, they run around a park and play with a laser gun. They slice, they dice, they even julienne. And they hope to give the crowd enough of a spectacle here this weekend to avoid being the sport most likely to be voted out of the Olympics.
Official rules detail the five events of the pentathlon, but they do not mention the Jedi-like endurance and patience these athletes need to wait through two weeks of other competitions. They have sat through Jessica Ennis and Michael Phelps, a badminton scandal and a German weight lifter dropping 432 pounds on his head. They have seen dozens of medal ceremonies, and heard the national anthems of half the United Nations.
The wait is almost over. By the time the closing ceremony begins Sunday night, we will know who is the best with a sword, but also who can pull on their breeches fastest after jumping out of the pool.