Modern Pentathlon & Ninja - Send Kian to Worlds

My name is Kian O'Boyle. This year has been mindblowing! I competed in Pentathlon for the first time over the summer and I am now the USA Pentathlon Junior National Champion.

Please help me cover my costs to go to the 2023 UIPM Junior World Championships in Druskininkai, Lithuania, including the cost of my Olympics-approved equipment and my travel & training expenses. (Any amount is greatly appreciated.)

The International Federation for the Olympic sport of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM) is integrating Ninja Obstacle as a discipline into Modern Pentathlon at the junior and youth levels, while senior athletes will fully adopt the change after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The five disciplines currently in Modern Pentathlon are swimming, fencing, horse riding (also known as show jumping), pistol shooting, and running. Ninja Obstacle is replacing horse riding.

The sport of Ninja Obstacle is heading to the Olympics!

I am a runner. I ran cross country and track (middle distance and hurdles) for Manitou Springs High School, qualifying for the state meets for multiple years. I love running and if you follow me on Strava, you'll see that I average 40+ miles/per week just for fun.

I am a ninja. I started as a climber. When I wasn't climbing trees or buildings, I learned to climb at CityRock. I climbed competitively for Team CityRock and then the team at SCC in both ropes and bouldering. On a whim, I tried Ninja Obstacle and found my passion! To me, Ninja Obstacle combines the strength and grit of climbing with more novelty and movement and the opportunity to fly! When I’m home in Colorado Springs, I play, train, and work at Altitude Ninja. Then, when I’m in Lawrence at the University of Kansas where I’m studying mechanical engineering, I continue to train as a climber at Climb Lawrence and play and train at Motus Ninjas (the closest ninja gym, 40 miles away in Overland Park).

I am a swimmer. Although I only swam competitively for a few years (before I got serious about climbing) with a club team in Colorado Springs, I returned to swimming last summer as a cross-training activity with my sister. I continued swimming while away at school at the Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center as part of my training since KU doesn’t have a pool that is open to regular students. So, I was somewhat ready to compete in the swimming discipline for Pentathlon. Now, I realize that I will need to switch gears and train specifically for Pentathlon, rather than using swimming as a cross-training activity.

I am learning to shoot a laser pistol. Luckily for me, Modern Pentathlon combines the running and shooting disciplines. During Nationals, I was able to race the 600m, catch my breath so I could shoot the laser pistol with some accuracy, repeat 3x, and then race to the finish. Now that I have my own laser pistol, I am continuing to practice accuracy under stress, so that I can get out of the shooting station faster. (Thank you to Keith Berryhill for helping me find the right laser pistol.)

I am learning to fence. The first time that I handled an épée sword was during the training camp before my first Pentathlon. While home in Colorado Springs, I started training with the Rocky Mountain Fencing Academy. (Thank you to Coach Maciej and my training partners for helping me to improve.) Now that I am back at KU, I plan to train with the KU Fencing Club. This is definitely the discipline where I have the most room to grow and improve my overall Pentathlon performance.

Thank you for your support! Go Team USA!!