Pentathlon

The pentathlon had its origins in ancient Greece. The competitors would compete in 5 separate events on the same day. These included wrestling, Discus throw, javelin, long jump and running. The athletes that participated were considered the very best and most skilled of the time. The idea of the ancient Pentathlon was military based. It was believed that practice in these sports would help the soldier when it came time for battle.

Today’s modern pentathlon is a complete break from the ancient counterparts. The modern pentathlon consists of entirely different sports and activities. The events of the modern pentathlon are fencing. Show jumping, pistol shooting, swimming and cross country running. The only remaining element of the ancient pentathlon is the connection to the military. The creator of the modern Pentathlon, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who also was the inventor of the modern Olympic Games, believed that these events were the skills of the ideal soldier.

The very first modern day pentathlon was help in 1912. It was won by Swedish born athlete Gosta Lillehook. The games did have one prominent celebrity to be. Future US military General George Patton competed and finished 5th. The modern Pentathlon has made a consistent presence in the Olympic Games since 1912. Non- Olympic years have contests and the competition has been opened up to women. A team attempt was tried but soon abandoned due to lack of interest.

Originally the pentathlon was help over a 4 or 5 day period of time. However in recent years the format has been dropped down to one single day. There have also been efforts to remove the pentathlon from Olympic competition. However, after several I.O. C votes it was decided that pentathlon will have a guaranteed presence until the 2012 games.

The pentathlon has its roots in the ancient Greek pentathlon. However the modern pentathlon holds very little in common with its ancient predecessor. The modern Pentathlon has been a part of the Olympic Games since 1912. However, after 2012 the future of the competition will come into question.