Americans Isabella Isaksen, Samantha Achterberg jockey for final Olympic pentathlon berths

SARASOTA -- The small crowd gathered along the barricaded grassy area to get a glimpse of the competitors shooting and running their way to the finish line.

While the attention was locked on Germany's Lena Schoeneborn, a former Olympic gold medalist who captured the women's Modern Pentathlon World Cup Final title at Sarasota's Nathan Benderson Park on Friday, something else was brewing throughout the field.

And that was the prospect of securing a spot for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this August in the modern pentathlon. Only two women and two men can represent their respective nation as a modern pentathlete, but they must qualify. The modern pentathlon is comprised of fencing, riding, swimming and the combined (running and shooting) disciplines.

And with Margaux Isaksen earning enough points prior to the Sarasota/Bradenton event this week to lock up a Team USA berth, one berth was at stake for the American women.

So on Friday, Isabella Isaksen and Samantha Achterberg were going against the field to qualify and against each other as the top point-earners entering the event.

"This competition was definitely the most important competition on the steps to qualifying," Isabella Isaksen said.

Both were aiming for top-16 finishes. Isaksen snagged 12th, while Achterberg grabbed 13th.

Prior to the final portion of the women's division starting, USA Pentathlon chief executive officer Rob Stull said the top 13 would probably be a safe target for earning a qualifying spot.

While nations can have a maximum of two men and two women representing it at the Olympics, they are not guaranteed those berths if individuals don't attain enough qualifying points.

In Isaksen and Achterberg's case, they needed a good showing at the Sarasota/Bradenton stop on Friday.

"My goal was top 15, top 16," Achterberg said.

This week's World Cup Final isn't the deciding factor for their Olympic fates, though. The World Championships loom in three weeks in Moscow.

"I have to do really well, but I feel like sometimes under pressure you perform," Achterberg said. "Things happen, so just have to stay relaxed and look at it like it's experience for 2020 as well."

For Achterberg, she began the final phase of the World Cup Final -- the combined discipline -- 25th out of 31 women competing.

She slowly crept forward through her shooting and running, ultimately achieving her goal for the event. There were four loops with competitors needing to light up five targets from 10 meters away before galloping the remaining portion of an 800-meter run. So a total of 20 targets and 3,200 meters ran are amassed at the end.

Schoeneborn, who is also the reigning women's world champion, was the first to cross the finish line. Hungary's Zsofia Foldhazi took second, while Lithuania's Leva Serapinaite placed third. The men's and mixed team competition follow this weekend, before worlds cap the qualifying opportunities.

And for Isabella Isaksen, it's a chance -- the U.S. team will not announce who made the cut until after the World Championships -- to join her sister Margaux, who took fourth at the 2012 London Olympic Games, and her husband, Amro El Geziry, who is ranked second in the world for men, in Rio.

"It's just an amazing thing to represent your country in the Olympics, but to do that with my sister, with my husband it just magnifies that feeling 10-fold," Isabella Isaksen said.

Jason Dill, sports reporter, can be reached at 745-7017. Follow him on Twitter@Jason__Dill and like his Facebook page at Jason Dill Bradenton Herald.

This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Americans Isabella Isaksen, Samantha Achterberg jockey for final Olympic pentathlon berths ."