Pentathlon
Pentathletes were considered to be among the most skilled athletes, and their training was often part of military service—each of the five events in the pentathlon was thought to be useful in war or battle.
It focused on the skills required by a late-19th-century soldier, with competitions in shooting, swimming, fencing, equestrianism, and cross country running.
It also featured in Greek mythology; the mythical hero Perseus fulfilled an oracle's prophecy by accidentally killing Acrisius with a discus while competing in the pentathlon.
[2] In mythology, Jason is credited with inventing the pentathlon, and he declared his friend Peleus the first winner of the event, after his victory in the wrestling.
[3] The wide variety of skills needed to compete meant that pentathletes were held in high esteem as physical specimens: in Rhetoric, Aristotle remarked "a body capable of enduring all efforts, either of the racecourse or of bodily strength ...
[4] 1912 Olympic gold medal winner Ferdinand Bie referenced that story after completing the events.
Working from the template of a 19th-century soldier fighting behind enemy lines, the contest comprises épée fencing, pistol shooting, freestyle swimming, show jumping on the back of an unfamiliar horse allocated in a draw, and a cross country run.
The long jump was aided by the use of halteres; stone weights which athletes would hold and swing to help propel themselves further.
For much of its history, the modern pentathlon remained largely unchanged from the original events featured at the 1912 Olympics.
The shooting discipline involves using a 4.5 mm air pistol in the standing position from 10 metres distance at a stationary target.
In the United States, this version of the pentathlon was contested as an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championship event until 1978.
With the breakup of the AAU, as a result of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, track and field came under separate leadership.
The Athletics Congress (TAC) (now USA Track & Field), chose to drop the pentathlon, as well as several other multi-event contests, as national championship events at the senior level, although it is recognised at the 11–12 and 13–14 age groups as national championship events.
Currently, Nafissatou Thiam holds the world record of 5055 points, which occurred on March 3, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey.
[10] The events contested at the Summer Paralympics varied according to whether the athletes were visually impaired, amputees or spinal disorders.
A French army officer, Captain Henri Debrus, adapted a military training method into a five event competition.
Despite the name, the sport has six events: shooting, fencing, orienteering, basketball skills, obstacle course, and swimming.
