The modern pentathlon differs slightly from its ancient predecessor, but the event will still be a thrilling and demanding competition at the 2024 Olympics in Paris this summer.
The modern pentathlon got its start in 1912, when Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, proposed to bring back the pentathlon, a competition featured in the Olympics of ancient Greece, with some modern adjustments.
Here is everything you need to know about the pentathlon at the 2024 Olympics in Paris:
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What is the history of the pentathlon at the Olympics?
The pentathlon was one of the most popular events of the Olympics in ancient Greece.
In ancient times, there were five events athletes would compete in, including discus, javelin, distance jumping, running and wrestling.
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But when Coubertin brought the competition back in 1912, he decided to modernize it to test "a man's moral qualities as much as his physical resources and skills, producing thereby the ideal, complete athlete."
The narrative of the modern pentathlon is of a soldier delivering a message getting knocked off his horse and having to defend himself with a sword and pistol. The soldier then had to run away by swimming and running through the woods.
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What events are in the modern pentathlon?
The modern pentathlon comprises four events combining five sports: racing, fencing, swimming, running and shooting.
For the racing component, athletes will ride an unfamiliar horse they were given to through a random draw 20 minutes before and will have to complete show jump course.
Fencing is split into two rounds. The first is a round to establish rankings for the competitors. Each athlete competes against each other in a bout that lasts one minute or until the first hit. The second round is single elimination, with each bout lasting 45 seconds.
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The swimming competition is a 200m freestyle event.
Finally, the running and shooting event is where athletes alternate between running and shooting at five targets from a distance of 10m.
How does scoring work for the pentathlon at the 2024 Olympics?
The modern pentathlon is scored with two separate rounds.
The first combines points scored in the racing, swimming and fencing events.
For fencing, athletes will earn points for winning bouts that take place within the second round of that event. Points for the racing and swimming events will be accumulated based on each athlete's performance in the event.
The points scored by each athlete in the first round, also called the semi-final round, are used to determine their placement at the start of the second round, which comprises of the running and shooting event.
Only 18 of the 36 athletes who compete in the semi-finals for both the men's and women's competitions will move on to the final round.
Athletes will have a handicap of one second for every point they scored in the first round. The first athlete starts with zero on the clock, and then the athlete with the second-most points from the first round starts at zero plus the number of seconds difference and so on.
The first athlete to cross the finish line at the final round wins the gold medal.
What countries are good at the modern pentathlon?
The moden pentathlon is not Team USA's strongest event, as the red, white and blue has never won gold in the event. However, a few have squeaked out bronze and silver.
The event is typically won by European countries, including Germany, Lithuania, Sweden, Hungary and Russia.
FAQs
The modern pentathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris is scheduled to take place from 8 to 11 August 2024 at the Palace of Versailles and the North Paris Arena.
Is the pentathlon still an Olympic event? ›
An innovation of the ancient Games of Greece, the modern pentathlon remains one of the most time-honored events going into the 2024 Summer Games. Only one athlete will represent the U.S. in Paris, testing her abilities across five disciplines that, in ancient times, demonstrated the skills of a soldier.
What sports are proposed for the 2024 Olympics? ›
The 2024 Games will feature 32 sports, which include 28 “core” Olympic sports and four new additions - breaking, skateboarding, surfing and sports climbing. The 33rd edition of the Summer Olympics is set to take place from July 26 to August 11 in Paris and 16 other cities in France.
What is the modern sequence of the pentathlon? ›
The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running.
What is the history of the modern pentathlon? ›
The Modern Pentathlon, introduced at the 5th Olympiad in Stockholm (SWE) in 1912, comprised the contemporary sports of pistol shooting, fencing, swimming, horse riding and running, and embraced the spirit of its ancient counterpart.
How many days is the modern pentathlon? ›
Originally a five-day contest, the modern pentathlon was shortened to four days in 1984 and to one day in 1996. The fencing competition is a round-robin tournament comprising one-minute, one-touch épée duels. The freestyle swim covers 200 metres.
Is pentathlon male or female? ›
The men's modern pentathlon was included in the Olympic competition schedule back at Stockholm 1912, while the women's category was added for the first time at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Is modern pentathlon changing? ›
The shorter, more dynamic format isn't the only change coming to modern pentathlon: after the Paris Olympics, an obstacle course discipline will replace horse riding. In November 2022, the UIPM approved the change as it vies to retain its regular spot on the Olympic program.
How to play modern pentathlon? ›
In modern pentathlon, players have to contest against each other in five different sports. The competition starts with fencing, followed by a swimming, then show- jumping, shooting and the cross country running. In the present scenario, the organizers have mixed the events of shooting and cross country run.
Which sport is removed from the 2024 Olympics? ›
Meanwhile, some other sports that were featured at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Games past, including baseball, softball and karate, will not make an appearance in Paris this year. Here's what to know about the sports coming and going from the Paris 2024 Summer Games.
The core sport to have been dropped is boxing but earlier proposals to drop weightlifting and modern pentathlon have also been overturned at the IOC meeting.
Who has rights to 2024 Olympics? ›
NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games through 2032, which are scheduled for Paris (2024), Milan Cortina (2026), Los Angeles (2028) and Brisbane (2032).
How do you win a pentathlon? ›
How do you win the Olympic modern pentathlon? Athletes accumulate points according to how they rank in the fencing, riding and swimming events, which determine where they start in the laser run event. The first athlete to cross the finish line in the laser-run has scored the most points and wins the gold medal.
How does academic pentathlon work? ›
Academic Pentathlon competition is comprised of five academic events: Fine Arts (Art and Music), Literature, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science. Part of the Literature score is a written essay.
What replaced horse riding in modern pentathlon? ›
That meant a dramatic makeover for modern pentathlon after issues that arose during the show-jumping portion at the Tokyo Games in 2021. The sport swapped equestrian for obstacles (think: “American Ninja Warrior”) as the fifth discipline to join swimming, laser shooting, running and fencing.
What is the new discipline of modern pentathlon? ›
Modern Pentathlon Prepares for Los Angeles with the Inception of the Obstacle Era in the Olympic program. The 141st Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) resonated with an era of change, confirming Modern Pentathlon with the obstacle discipline in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
What are the five events in the ancient pentathlon? ›
In Classical Greek, pentathlon means 'five competitions'. These five events were the jump, discus, foot race, javelin throw and wrestling. Only one prize was awarded and each pentathlete was expected to participate in every one of the five events in order to be eligible for the award.
What is a pentathlon in swimming? ›
In this meet, swimmers must participate in all 5 events, which include the Fly, Back, Breast, Free, and the Individual Medley to earn a combined total score.
