![]() Isabella Isaksen (right) and Amro El Geziry at 2018 Modern Pentathlon World Cup in Los Angeles | ||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||
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Born | Fayetteville, Arkansas | November 22, 1993|||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||
Sport | Modern pentathlon | |||||||||||
Medal record
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Isabella Isaksen (born November 22, 1993) is a modern pentathlete from the United States who competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Isaksen is the younger sister of Margaux Isaksen, who competed in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and competed in 2016.
Biography
[edit]Isaksen was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She has one sibling, older sister Margaux Isaksen, who made the United States Olympic Team in modern pentathlon in 2008, 2012, and 2016. Isaksen's father was the captain of a cruise ship. He died of colon cancer when his daughters were 2 years and 6 months old, respectively.[1]
Isaksen was a fencer first, before taking up modern pentathlon, of which fencing is one of the five components.[2] She began fencing shortly before her older sister, Margaux.[1]
In 2012, she completed on the gold medal-winning U.S. women's relay team at the World Junior Modern Pentathlon Championships in Drzonków, Poland, alongside her sister. After her appearance at the 2016 Olympic Games, where she placed 24th with 1255 points,[3] Isaksen and her husband, Amro El Geziry, took the mixed relay silver medal at the 2018 UIPM World Cup II in Los Angeles.[4] The next year, the pair took gold in the mixed relay at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.[5]
In January 2017, Isaksen joined the U.S. Army where she served on a multiple launch rocket system crew and stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado.[5] In January 2021, she was promoted to the rank of staff sergeant.[6]
In 2016, Isaksen began seasonal work with the United States Forest Service, and in 2023, she took a permanent position as a public affairs officer at Ochoco National Forest. In February 2025, just shy of the end of her probationary period in the role, Isaksen was removed from her position as part of the 2025 United States federal mass layoffs.[7] Following this, she was a guest of Oregon senator Jeff Merkley at the Donald Trump's 2025 speech to a joint sesion of Congress.[8]
Personal life
[edit]In May 2014, Isaken married fellow pentathlete Amro El Geziry. The pair joined the army in 2017 and were selected for the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "About Me". Margaux Isaksen - Modern Pentathlete - Official Site. Archived from the original on March 21, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
- ^ "Isabella Isaksen". NBC Olympics. NBC. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ "Olympic Games". Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) World. June 19, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ "UIPM World Cup II". Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) World. May 7, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ a b "SSG Isabella Isaksen :: WCAP". Army World Class Athlete Program. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ "Modern Pentathlon Athlete promoted to Staff Sergeant". DVIDS. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
- ^ Enebrad, Colby (February 18, 2025). "'This will impact the public': 2 fired Central Oregon US Forest Service workers speak out". Central Oregon Daily. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ "Merkley Announces Illegally Fired USFS Worker as his Guest to the 2025 Joint Address to Congress" (Press release). Office of Senator Jeff Merkley. March 3, 2025.
- ^ "Modern love: Pentathlon couple balances training, military". NBC Sports. May 4, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2025.