Col John Russell, 100, receives UIPM Medal of Honour 

An equestrian champion from the US who became a leading Modern Pentathlon administrator has received one of UIPM’s most prestigious awards on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

Col John Russell, born on 2 February 1920, is the oldest surviving Olympic medalist in the US and the second-oldest in the world. Sixty-eight years since his bronze medal in Helsinki (1952), a group of former pentathletes gathered for his 100th birthday party.

Col Russell, who headed up the US Modern Pentathlon Training Centre after retiring in 1956 and went on to coach multiple US pentathletes to success at world level, while also helping to arrange two UIPM Pentathlon World Championships, was presented with his medal at the celebration in San Antonio (USA) by UIPM Treasurer John Helmick and NORCECA Confederation President Rob Stull.

The UIPM Medal of Honour is a special award presented to lifelong ambassadors of UIPM Sports who embody the values of the movement.

Col Russell becomes the 29th recipient of this prestigious award, and he is one of just 15 still alive.