COUPLE IS FOCUSED ON GOLD.Byline: Nathan Kurz Staff Writer A little more than two years ago, Mary Beth Iagorashvili was in crisis mode. As a chiropractor chiropractor a practitioner in chiropractic. chiropractor A health professional trained in chiropractic; chiropractors do not perform surgery or prescribe drugs; of 50,000 licensed chiropractors in the US, many practice 'straight' chiropractic, ie , she was trying to take care of her patients. As an athlete, she was trying to train for the Olympics in the grueling gru·el·ing also gru·el·ling adj. Physically or mentally demanding to the point of exhaustion: a grueling campaign. gru sport of modern pentathlon modern pentathlon n. An athletic contest in which each participant competes in five events: running, swimming, horseback riding, fencing, and pistol shooting. . She turned to the wisest man she knew - her coach, training partner and husband, Vaho, who also happens to be a former medalist in the modern pentathlon. ``He told me I had to choose,'' Mary Beth said. ``He made it easier by saying that it's OK if you don't practice for a while. You just have to do what you most want to do. Mary Beth and Vaho will be representing the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. in Athens along with fellow Americans Chad Senior Chad Senior (born December 27, 1974) is an American Olympic modern pentathlete. Senior grew up in Fort Myers, Florida, and graduated from North Fort Myers High School. Chad excelled in academics and athletics, and at an early age expressed a desire to compete in the Olympics. and Anita Allen. The story of the Iagorashvili (pronounced YAGO-RASH-VILI) couple, who met as athletes in 1999 and live in San Antonio San Antonio (săn ăntō`nēō, əntōn`), city (1990 pop. 935,933), seat of Bexar co., S central Tex., at the source of the San Antonio River; inc. 1837. , is the most compelling saga of all. It's hard to understand the depth of the connection between Mary Beth and Vaho unless you really grasp the extent to which modern pentathlon is truly excruciating for mind and body. Modern pentathlon is a composite contest consisting of running, shooting, show jumping show jumping Competitive riding of horses through an obstacle course. Horses run the course one at a time, and the winner is judged according to jumping ability and speed. Individual and team jumping events have been part of the Olympic Games since 1912. on horseback on the back of a horse; mounted or riding on a horse or horses; in the saddle. See also: Horseback , fencing and swimming. ``It's not just one sport, it's a combination of five,'' Mary Beth said. ``It's not about being the best but finding the difficult balance with all five combined. Shooting is mostly mental, fencing is mostly strategy and physical ability, running and swimming are tests of endurance and strength and with riding you've got to cope with something that's got its own brain.'' Mary Beth, 29, finished fourth in the inaugural Olympic women's modern pentathlon in 2000. Vaho, 40, is a native of the Republic of Georgia and won a bronze medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics for the Soviet Union. He's 40 years old and will be making his third Olympic appearance. He quit the sport in 1991 after moving to the U.S. to begin coaching. He came out of retirement to represent his native Georgia in 1996 in Atlanta and got his green card the same year. He didn't get his citizenship in time for the Sydney Olympics, so he decided to sit out and help his wife with her preparations. He then retired again to coach in 2000. But because of cutbacks in the U.S. Modern Pentathlon Federation, he lost his job. That's when he decided to make one final run. ``It would mean a lot for both of us,`` Mary Beth said. ``We've sacrificed a lot the last few years to be able to do this together. It would be unbelievable. We dream about it all the time.'' CAPTION(S): box Box: MODERN PENTATHLON |
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