Born in September 2007, Kira was on the move from the beginning. As soon she figured out how to roll over, she was rolling over and over and over, making giant circles around the room. Determined and not deterred by setbacks, by 10 1/2 months, Kira was walking. At 12 months, she was running, climbing and jumping. When other kids would be bouncing at a birthday party with inflatables, Kira could be found ascending the climbing wall - over and over and over. Age range suggestions at playgrounds were simply another challenge for her to conquer. Zip lining, horseback riding, skiing, wake boarding - there wasn’t a sport Kira was afraid to try.

KidsLoveSoccer lead to gymnastics and tumbling at Gold Star Gym, swimming at DACA, ice skating at Cupertino Ice, dance and karate at school and rock climbing at Planet Granite - sometimes all in the same week. And playgrounds and jungle gyms - lots and lots of playgrounds. And biking (and doing “tricks” on her bike). She even took on her first Silicon Valley Kids Triathlon at age seven, fighting through the elements to finish strong.

During a trip to the Great Christmas Dicken's Faire at the Cow Palace in 2017, Kira found fencing and she left inspired to find a place to train in epee - ASAP! Fortunately, Academy of Fencing Masters in Campbell was offering a four-week introductory course. It was love at first sight and, following the intro class, Kira moved over to The Fencing Center in San Jose to begin training in earnest. Always a multi-sport athlete, she continued to play every team sport offered in school - softball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, Girls on the Run 5K - winning numerous Coaches’ Awards and celebrating an undefeated season of basketball - but continued to gravitate towards fencing.

Enter 2020 and COVID-19. All school sports came to a screeching halt. All team sports were paused. Kira’s fencing studio went into 100% remote mode. Kira missed training. Unlike many 12 year olds, however, Kira took matters into her own hands and began searching for fencing tutorials on YouTube. It was there that she first learned about pentathlon. Fascinated, she watch video after video, soon approaching her parents to inquire about the sport. As COVID-related restrictions remained, Kirt Iverson and Wolfpack Pentathlon Club came to the rescue. With their leadership, Kira was able to begin horseback riding lessons at Isola Riding Academy, swimming at Bay Club Santa Clara, laser shooting, and, after a minor reorganization of the garage, running on a Peloton Tread+. The Fencing Studio also slowly opened up for private lessons and, to keep her parents on-point and her schoolwork top notch, she created a spreadsheet of her training program to keep track of the five (!) sports. Plus, she has had her brother, Reid, and Bernedoodle, Wesley, by her side every step of the way.

In August 2022, Kira and her family relocated to the Washington, DC area and her training took a major step forward when she began training at ELITE Fencing Academy in Springfield, Virginia with 2x Olympian, Head Coach Ayman Fayez, Egyptian National Pentathlon Team Member and World Champion, Coach Nada Mostafa, and Coach Esmail Khairat. Concurrently, she had the opportunity to compete in hunter-jumper events with the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) Varsity Equestrian Team at The Madeira School. In tenth grade, she transferred to the academically rigorous all-girls Holton-Arms School, joining the JV Soccer team in the fall while elevating to the Gold Level of Fencing at ELITE. In Spring 2024, realizing that Holton didn’t have a fencing team but that their brother school - The Landon School - had a boys’ team, Kira took the initiative to join the Landon Fencing Team, quickly earning their respect along with the #1 spot on the Varsity team and competing as the only girl in the entire athletic conference. Academically, she is excelling, maintaining a 4.2+ GPA with a heavy course load while competing in fencing a few times a month, doing community and social justice volunteer work, taking on school leadership roles, and enjoying family time and walks with her dog. Phew!

Starting with her first major event in 2021, she has competed at and won the US Modern Pentathlon National Championships three times - winning the U-15 division both as an individual and in the mixed co-ed team event in 2021, U-17 in 2022, and U-17 in 2023. These National titles earned her a spot on the Youth World Team and an opportunity to represent the United States in international competition. In 2024, she will be competing in the U-19 division, vying for a spot on the U-19 World Championship team and an opportunity to compete in Lithuania for Team USA in Fall 2024. In 2022, 2023, and again in 2024, Kira has been fortunate to be able to train and compete at the US Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Which takes us to today. A sport we had barely heard of prior to March 2020 has become a family obsession.

Join us as we cheer Kira on through her pentathlon journey!