China's military pentathletes win big at home

Lu Pinpin, 23, broke the women's obstacle run world record with two minutes and 10.9 seconds.

Both the men's and the women's team world record were renewed.

Zhang Zheng, 25, tied the men's individual obstacle world record of 23.8 seconds.

There are five events — 200-meter shooting, 500 m obstacle run, 50 m obstacle swimming, throwing and cross country. The obstacle run was the most popular event, as pentathletes scaled different style of obstacles while racing at an adrenaline-pumping pace.

The obstacles include a five-meter high rope ladder, uneven bar, timber wire, ditch and log bridge.

Multi-world champion Pan smashed his own obstacle running record set six years ago by just one second.

Li Chunmei, coach of the Bayi women's military pentathlon team, said a women's pentathlon athlete would never succumbs to any obstacle, even those of the same size as their men's counterparts.

Established in 1980, the Chinese military pentathlon squad had won 109 world titles and 66 world record under belt before the Wuhan Military Games, including the men's 18 consecutive world champion and the women's 13 in row after the annual world military pentathlon championships in Brazil in 2013. Eight technique skills in the sport were regarded as created by Chinese pentathletes.

"Soldiers' only aim is to be the first," Li said. "Imagine a real battlefield; there are no runners-up."

Zhao Min, coach of the men's team, said the sport has been introduced to all the military forces and special forces as one of the drill programs.

For grassroots sport lover, however, the sport is not recommended and requires special long-term training.

Lu Pinpin, China's youngest participant and a newcomer to the military games, said a military pentathlete is supposed to run at least 80,000 kilometers cross-country and climb over the five-meter rope ladder thousands of times before becoming a world-class pentathlete.