Sarasota and Manatee counties to hold pentathlon

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) - Sarasota and Manatee counties will host the world cup finals and qualifiers in the oldest Olympic sport: the modern pentathlon.

The sport comprises fencing, 200-meter freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, and a final event that combines shooting with a 3,200-meter cross-country run.

Sarasota will host the world cup final on June 5-8, a world cup in March 2015 and the world cup final and Olympic qualifier June 2016.

This is the first time the United States has hosted an Olympic qualifying event for pentathlon. The Sarasota-Manatee area was selected over cities including Cairo, Rome, Buenos Aires and Acapulco.