Ancient Olympic pentathlon

Five events were contested over one day, starting with the stadion (a short foot race), followed by the javelin throw, discus throw and long jump (the order of these three events is still unclear), and ending with wrestling.

The event was first held at the 18th Ancient Olympiad around 708 BC,[2] and changed format a number of times.

[4] The wide variety of skills needed to compete led Aristotle to hold pentathletes in high esteem as physical specimens.

In a young man, it consists in possessing a body capable of enduring all efforts, either of the racecourse or of bodily strength, while he himself is pleasant to look upon and a sheer delight.

This is why the athletes in the pentathlon are most beautiful, because they are naturally adapted for bodily exertion and for swiftness of foot" (Rhetoric 1361b11).

The long jump is perhaps the most unusual, compared to the modern athletics version.

The javelin, like the discus, was thrown for length, but in addition there was a second section of it where they threw for accuracy.