Photos: Courtesy Paris 2024
Baron Pierre de Coubertin introduced the modern pentathlon to the Stockholm Olympics in 1912 for test the strengths of a complete athlete through more contemporary disciplines.
This multiple discipline was inherited from the Greeks and is deeply linked to militarism, so the competition reflects the skills that a good 19th century liaison officer must have had to deliver messages across enemy lines.
The sport begins with equestrian, where competitors perform a course of jumps on an unfamiliar horse, demonstrating their horsemanship and control, then defend themselves with a sword in a series of fencing bouts where athletes must demonstrate technical and strategic skills.
The warriors followed with the task of swimming in a river which, in the Olympic Games, is replaced by a pool where they must swim 200 metres freestyle, to evaluate speed and endurance in the water. Finally, the running race, like the old pentathlon event, tests the athlete’s pace and energy, alternating with the shooting, where competitors must shoot at five targets from 10 metres to demonstrate accuracy and concentration. The first athlete to cross the finish line wins the gold medal.
In ancient Greece, the pentathlon was designed to reflect the essential skills of a Greek warrior, combining tests of speed, strength, agility and combat skills. The Spartans used it to select the most complete and versatile soldiers.
The stadion or stadium tests combined a short running race that challenged the athlete’s speed and endurance. Competitors then had to perform a long jump, demonstrating their ability to propel themselves and land with precision; followed by the discus throw in which athletes threw a stone disc with the intention of reaching the greatest possible distance, showing strength and technique.
The javelin throw evaluated the precision and power of the athlete’s throw. Finally, Greek wrestling was a hand-to-hand combat between two competitors, where the strength and skill of each athlete was tested.
In the Ancient Games, sport played a prominent role in the competition, as the winner of the pentathlon was considered the grand champion.
Today, due to the diverse nature of the events, modern pentathlon is an extremely demanding sport that pushes athletes to their mental and physical limits, requiring an exceptional range of skills. Originally only one event was held per day, but now they are grouped together on the same day to provide a more exciting spectacle.
The growing popularity of the sport led to the founding of an international federation, Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), in 1948 and it wasn’t until the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games that the first women’s pentathlon was held.
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