Jess Davis, a 31-year-old from Connecticut, is the first (and possibly only) American to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics in modern pentathlon.
Davis finished fourth at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, grabbing the third and final Olympic spot available for athletes from North and Central America.
Davis scored 1,370 points totaling results from horse riding, fencing, swimming and a combined running and shooting event.
Mexico’s Mayan Oliver won with 1,423 points. Davis grabbed the last Olympic spot available by 27 points over countrywoman Phaelen French.
MORE: 2024 U.S. Olympic team roster
In the men’s event, American Brendan Anderson missed qualifying for the Olympics by two points after more than 1,400 points’ worth of results.
Americans can still qualify for the Olympics next year via world championships or world ranking, though none are ranked in the top 85 in the world. Pan Ams was the best qualifying opportunity.
If no American man qualifies, it will be the first time no U.S. man competes in Olympic modern pentathlon since its debut in 1912 (boycotted 1980 Moscow Games aside). Future Gen. George S. Patton was the American participant in 1912, finishing fifth.
Davis, ranked 87th in the world, improved her Pan Ams finish from 23rd at the last edition of the Games in 2019.
The last American to win an Olympic modern pentathlon medal was Emily deRiel in 2000 (silver).
The Paris Games are likely to be the final Olympics to include horse riding in modern pentathlon.
The International Olympic Committee confirmed last week that the sport must replace horse riding with an obstacle racing discipline to remain on the Olympic program for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
IOC President Thomas Bach said in December 2021 that the sport needed to reduce cost and complexity and make improvements across safety, accessibility and universality and appeal to the youth and general public.
