What Is the Olympic Pentathlon?

The 2024 Summer Olympics are in full swing, with many competitions having already concluded. Hundreds of medals have already been awarded, but there are still plenty of competitions waiting to be completed.

One of these competitions, the pentathlon, dates back to the earliest versions of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece.

In fact, the name of the event comes from those earliest versions of the Games. In Greek, “Penta” means “five,” while “Athlon” means “competitions.”

Combining the two words, organizers of the earliest Olympic games put the best athletes in Greece and the surrounding area through a series of five competitions to determine who the best overall athlete was.

One of the most interesting aspects of watching the Olympics is embracing the history of the Games. While there are plenty of competitions that go on and disciplines represented in the modern Olympics that have rich histories, few of them bring the long-term tradition that the pentathlon provides.

While the pentathlon may not receive the mainstream sports media coverage that’s given to events like basketball, soccer, and gymnastics, it’s one of the most thrilling events that takes place every four years.

Today, learn more about the history of this event, what’s included, and how it’s scored as we prepare to see the next gold medalist in a long line of great athletes.

The History of the Pentathlon

Based on historical findings, the first pentathlon took place in the Olympics in 708 BC. In addition to these events taking place at the Olympics, they were also part of the Panhellenic Games in Greece.

The entire premise was to determine who the best athletes in the world were, a concept that has not changed in the thousands of years since the pentathlon was first introduced.

The pentathlon was so popular in ancient times that it was captured on pottery that has been discovered by archeologists. It also appears in some famous stories in Greek mythology.

In one tale, Perseus, a hero in Greek mythology, fulfilled the prophecy given by an oracle by killing Acrisius with a discus during a pentathlon competition. According to Greek mythology, Jason invented the pentathlon.

It’s worth noting that not all of the ancient iterations of the pentathlon were the same. Organizers would often take competitions out of the pentathlon and replace them with other disciplines. This was done not only to determine who the most versatile athletes were in the ancient world but was also simply the product of organizers of the event creating new competitions and wanting to see how they played out.

For instance, in some versions of the event, the race (also called the Stadion), was replaced by boxing or pankration, which was an ancient version of mixed martial arts.

What Was in the Ancient Pentathlon?

While there were occasional changes made to the event lineup, the ancient pentathlon typically started with a food race that covered the entire length of the stadium, typically, around 200 yards. This foot race was usually followed by a long jump competition, a discus throw, and a javelin throw.

Once those four competitions were complete, the two athletes who had performed the best would then face off in a wrestling match. In ancient Greece, there were no awards given for second or third place like there are today.

The winner of the wrestling match was the winner of the pentathlon, a title that he would carry until the next competition.

The earliest versions of the pentathlon looked quite different than the individual competitions that made look today.

For instance, for the discus throw, competitors would stand on an elevated platform in order to give the crowd a better view.

During the long jump, competitors would swing heavy stones to propel themselves further. Over time, adaptations were made to each event, and some parts of the ancient pentathlon were completely phased out.

The Evolution of the Pentathlon

1912

By 1912, the pentathlon was once again part of the Olympic Games, but the makeup of the competition was changed drastically.

Instead of simply scheduling competitions that highlighted athleticism, organizers of the modern Olympics decided to build the pentathlon around the skills needed by battlefield couriers. These competitions included fencing, horseback riding, swimming, running, and shooting.

1952-1992

In 1952, Olympic organizers made another change to the pentathlon and turned it into a team event. This concept stayed in place until the 1992 Games. However, the team version of the event wasn’t the only one that took place during this time.

Between 1964 and 1980, women competed in a solo version of the pentathlon that included a 100-meter hurdles race, the 200-meter dash, the long jump, the high jump, and the shot put.

Between 1912 and 1980, the pentathlon was a five-day event that featured one competition per day. Between 1984 and 1992, the event was cut to four days, and competitors would either run and shoot or swim and shoot on the same day.

1996-2000

In 1996, the pentathlon changed significantly and became a one-day event.

In 2000, the pentathlon returned to its status as an event that only featured female competitors, and there were other changes made to the event.

For example, the 300-meter freestyle swimming race was cut to 200 meters. Additionally, the 4,000-meter cross-country race was reduced to 3,000 meters.

What Is the Pentathlon in 2024?

For the 2024 Summer Olympics, the Pentathlon will take place between August 8 and August 11.

Based on the model created by Baron Pierre de Coubterin, who is credited with founding the modern Olympic games, the pentathlon in the 2024 Paris Olympics will feature athletics (racing), swimming, fencing, horseback riding, and shooting.

Over those four days, 36 men and 36 women will compete across the five disciplines.

The competition, which takes a tournament-style approach to determining a winner, will begin on August 8 with a fencing competition.

The athletes will take part in a “one-touch” fencing tournament, in which matches last for 60 seconds, and a single touch with the tip of the sword ends the match. These matches will take place in the North Paris Arena.

On days two through four, the competition will move to the Palas of Versailles, in a move that was designed to give spectators, both those who are there in person and those who are watching from home, a better view than they’ve had in past versions of the Games.

What Are the Events?

The three events that are scheduled to go first (fencing, swimming, and horseback riding) will be scored on a points system.

The competitors will then use the points that they earn in those events to determine their time handicap for pistol shooting and cross-country running. The points leader will start the event, and then the other competitors will start after the leader based on how many points they’ve earned.

One interesting note surrounding the horseback riding event involves what horses the competitors will be riding.

Since it’s a show-jumping event, riders will be on unfamiliar horses and will be tasked with navigating 12 obstacles.

Points will be deducted for bars that get knocked down and other obstacles that aren’t cleared cleanly. The pistol shooting event will rely on lasers, as has been the case since 2012.

The layout of the semi-finals and finals is as follows:

• 35 minutes of horseback riding (show jumping)
• 5-minute break
• 20 minutes of fencing (épee) - bonus round
• 10-minutes break
• 15 minutes of swimming (200m freestyle)
• 15-minute break
• 20 minutes combined event (laser run)

Names to Watch in the 2024 Pentathlon

The team from Great Britain won the men’s and women’s pentathlon in the 2020 Olympics and is expected to be a force to be reckoned with again this year. Kate French, the women’s champion from Great Britain, also won gold in the 2022 World Championships.

Elena Micheli of Italy is also expected to be in contention in the women’s competition. She became the first pentathlete to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Finally, three Egyptian men are expected to be in contention when it comes to the pentathlon in the 2024 Paris Olympics, including Mohanad Shaban who won the 2023 World Cup.

The pentathlon is one of the most prestigious competitions in the Olympics, thanks in large part to its rich history. Which athletes will etch their names in the history books along with the great Olympians who came before them?

You can find out August 8-11, 2024 during the 2024 Summer Olympics.