Dennis Bowsher realized his Olympic dream on Saturday, competing in the modern pentathlon on the stage in London, but after a full day of competition, the graduate of W.T. White High School in Dallas, ended with a finish in 32nd place.
The sport traces its roots to the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin, and was introduced in 1912. Athletes competing are faced with five different events. They must fence, swim 200-meters, ride a show jumping horse, and run 3 kilometers while stopping to shoot a pistol along the way -- all skills used in military combat.
In the first event, fencing, Bowsher ended in a three way tie for 34th place. Thanks to his strength in the pool he finished 18th in swimming. Then riding a horse named Vito he finished in 29th. In the final combined event, where competitors run and shoot, Bowsher finished 30th.
Bowsher finished 32nd overall.
"It wasn't the best of days, but I didn't win a medal today, but I was here giving it a shot," Bowsher told NBC 5 after the race.
Bowsher, a soldier in the U.S. Army, was the sole competitor for the U.S. at the Games of the XXX Olympiad.
"There are a lot of Americans that make the U.S. Olympic team but I'm doing it as a soldier in the Army, so it's just an extra bonus," said Bowsher. "Like a little bit more honor for me, just knowing that I have all those people back rooting for me wearing that uniform."
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You may be seeing Bowsher again at the XXI Summer Olympics. "We have Rio in four years, and I look forward to training to that," said Bowsher
NBC 5's Brian Curtis and Justin Hinton contributed to this report.
