It’s called modern pentathlon for a reason — there are five events.

But really, it has become six: fencing, swimming, more fencing, horse jumping, running and shooting.

And that second fencing round is a cage-match style, where each victory gives the athlete a one-second head start in their final run and the only way off the piste is to lose.

In Saturday’s 30C heat at the Pan Am Games, that bonus round seemed more like a torture round for the athletes but it’s not really for them, it’s for spectators.

It’s a new element introduced ahead of the Rio Olympics to boost drama and give the illusion of a comeback opportunity for the lower-ranked athletes. But the most drama for Canadian fans by far came at the end of the eight-hour competition during the combined run-shoot event.

That’s where Toronto’s Donna Vakalis outkicked her Canadian teammate to finish fourth and win a berth to the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Vakalis started her run in 11th place but rose up through the four rounds of laser pistol target shooting and 800-metre runs.

Canadian Melanie McCann started the combined event in third place but dropped down to finish fifth.

The 25-year-old from Mount Carmel, Ont., who was 11th in her Olympic debut in 2012 London — the best-ever Olympic result by a Canadian — now has a more difficult route of qualifying for Rio through world rankings next year.

“That’s the nature of pentathlon,” Vakalis said, of her dramatic come-from-behind result. “You never really know where you’re going to end up.”

Vakalis, also a London Olympian, is a strong runner and shooter but after struggling with a broken foot and illness wasn’t sure what to expect.

“I just really wanted it, really badly.”

This is an individual sport, but running by a Canadian teammate with so much on the line isn’t easy.

“My heart goes out to her but I also know that she is such a strong competitor she will be at Rio as well, she just has to take another route there.”

Half the stands here were wearing red t-shirts in support of McCann, and that had both its ups and downs for her.

“Dealing with all that extra energy, that was a little bit new for me because when we go around the world on our World Cups, it’s a pretty solitary experience,” she said, fighting back tears.

“I came up a little bit short this time but it’s not the end of my story . . . I’ll make it to Rio, one way or the other.”

Ingersoll, Ont., native Hillary Elliott, who at just 17 was a surprise to make the team, finished 16th.

London bronze medallist Brazil’s Yane Marques won gold, Mexico’s Tamara Vega took silver and her teammate Mayan Oliver ran her way from ninth to take bronze.

Modern pentathlon was created specifically for the Olympics in 1912 but these days, it’s a sport fighting for ratings and to stay relevant.

To its critics, the sport is antiquated, based on the skills a 19th-century soldier would have needed to survive behind enemy lines. To supporters, it’s the ultimate sporting challenge that requires an intriguing mix of mental and physical strength and identifies the best all-round athletes.

Either way, the need to be skilled in five disciplines makes it expensive to excel in and keeps global participation low, and that’s why the sport is trying to boost spectator appeal.

“It’s all about the audience,” McCann said, of the changes. “The bonus round is very exciting for the audience, it’s a do or die.”

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Really, all five or six events, if you count fencing twice, is a do or die and that’s what makes much of the sport dramatic.

“It’s fun,” said national team head coach John Hawes, before adding, “can you swim?”

Such is the state of this sport’s depth in Canada that Hawes never misses an opportunity to recruit.