Modern pentathlon

Missing image
Modern_Pentathlon_2004_Olympics.jpg
Competitors in the final round of the Men's Modern Pentathlon pull for the finish line at the Goudi Sports Complex on August 26, 2004.

The modern pentathlon is a sports contest consisting of 5 events, hence the name pentathlon. The events are épée fencing, pistol shooting, 200 m freestyle swimming, a show jumping course on horseback, and a cross-country run. The epithet modern is important to discern it from the ancient athletics pentathlon -- none of the events of modern penthatlon were part of the ancient Olympics.

The modern pentathlon was invented by the Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games. As the events of the ancient pentathlon were modeled after the skills of the ideal soldier of that time, Coubertin created the contest to simulate the experience of a 19th century cavalry soldier behind enemy lines: he must ride an unfamiliar horse, fight with pistol and sword, swim, and run.

The event was first contested at the 1912 Olympic Games, and was won by a Swede named Gösta Lilliehook. Future American World War II General George S. Patton finished fifth.

The modern pentathlon has been on the Olympic program continuously since 1912. A team event was added to the Olympic Games in 1952 and discontinued in 1992. An event for women was added in 2000. In non-Olympic years, a World Championship is held, instigated in 1949. Originally the competition took place over four or five days; however in 1996 a one-day format was adopted in an effort to improve the event's commercial image. In spite of the event's strong pedigree in the modern olympics, and its status as the only event created specifically for the modern olympic games, its lack of widespread popularity outside of Eastern Europe has led to calls for its removal from the Olympic games in recent years.

The sport is governed by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), the International Modern Pentathlon Union.

Contents

Disciplines of the Modern Pentathlon

  • Shooting: The shooting discipline involves using a 4.5 mm air pistol in the standing position from 10 metres distance at a stationary target. Each competitor has 20 shots, with a maximum of 40 seconds between each shot.
  • Fencing: The fencing discipline uses the epee. The competition is a round-robin, with each competitor facing all of the others. Each bout lasts for one minute, with the first to score a hit winning.
  • Swimming: The swimming discipline is a 200 m freestyle race. Competitors are seeded in heats according to their fastest time over the distance.
  • Riding: The riding discipline involves show jumping over a 350-450 metre course with between 12 and 15 obstacles. Competitors are paired with horses in a draw 20 minutes before the start of the event.
  • Running: The running discipline involves a 3,000 m cross-country race. Competitors are ranked according to their score from the first four disciplines and given different start times, with the leader going first. The first person to cross the finish line is the overall winner of the pentathlon.

Olympic champions

Individual men

1912 Gösta Lilliehook SWE
1920 Gustaf Dyrssen SWE
1924 Bo Lindman SWE
1928 Sven Thofelt SWE
1932 Johan Oxenstierna SWE
1936 Gotthardt Handrick GER
1948 Willy Grut SWE
1952 Lars Hall SWE
1956 Lars Hall SWE
1960 Ferenc Nemeth HUN
1964 Ferenc Torok HUN
1968 Björn Ferm SWE
1972 András Balczo HUN
1976 Janusz Pyciak-Peciak POL
1980 Missing image
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Anatoli Starostin USSR
1984 Missing image
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Daniele Masala ITA
1988 Janus Martinek HUN
1992 Arkadiusz Skrzypaszek POL
1996 Missing image
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Aleksandr Parygin KAZ
2000 Dmitri Svatkovski RUS
2004 Andrey Moiseev RUS

Team men

This event was discontinued after 1992.

1952 Hungary
1956 Missing image
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USSR
1960 Hungary
1964 Missing image
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USSR
1968 Hungary
1972 Missing image
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USSR
1976 Great Britain
1980 Missing image
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USSR
1984 Missing image
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Italy
1988 Hungary
1992 Poland

Individual women

2000 Steph Cook GBR
2004 Zsuzsanna Voros HUN

World Champions

Individual Men

1949Tage BjurefeltSWE
1950Lars HallSWE
1951Lars HallSWE
1953Gábor BenedekHUN
1954Björn ThofeltSWE
1955Konstantion SalnikovUSSR
1957Igor NovikovUSSR
1958Igor NovikovUSSR
1959Igor NovikovUSSR
1961Igor NovikovUSSR
1962Eduard DobnikovUSSR
1963András BalczoHUN
1965András BalczoHUN
1966András BalczoHUN
1967András BalczoHUN
1969András BalczoHUN
1970Péter KelemenHUN
1971Boris OnishchenkoUSSR
1973Pavel LednevUSSR
1974Pavel LednevUSSR
1975Pavel LednevUSSR
1977Janusz Pyciak-PeciakPOL
1978Pavel LednevUSSR
1979Robert NiemanUSA
1981Janusz Pyciak-PeciakPOL
1982Daniele MasalaITA
1983Anatoli StarostinUSSR
1985Attila MizserHUN
1986Carlo MassulloITA
1987Joël BouzouFRA
1989László FabianHUN
1990Gianluca TibertiITA
1991Arkadiusz SkrzypaszekPOL
1993Richard PhelpsGBR
1994Dmitri SvatkovskiRUS
1995Sebastien DeleigneFRA
1997Sebastien DeleigneFRA
1998Sebastien DeleigneFRA
1999Gábor BaloghHUN
2000Andrejus ZadneprovskisLTU
2001Gábor Balogh HUN
2002Michal SedleckýCZE
2003Eric WaltherGER
2004Andrejus ZadneprovskisLTU

Individual women

1981A AhlgrenSWE
1982W NormanGBR
1983L ChernobrywyCAN
1984S JakovlevaUSSR
1985B KotowskaPOL
1986I KisselyevaUSSR
1987I KisselyevaUSSR
1988D IdziPOL
1989L NorwoodUSA
1990E FjellerupDEN

External links

et:Moodne viievõistlus fr:Pentathlon it:Pentathlon moderno nl:Moderne vijfkamp ja:近代五種競技 pl:Pięciobój nowoczesny

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