The fencing event uses épée-style rules, with preliminaries and semi-finals consisting of 1-minute, 1-touch round-robin bouts. In the semi-finals and finals, there is also a direct elimination “bonus round” bracket made up of 1-minute, 5-touch bouts. I had never fenced before starting modern pentathlon, but I have really enjoyed the learning process, as fencing offers a great mix of both physical and mental training.