In the sport of athletics, pentathlons have taken various forms over the history of the sport, typically incorporating five track and field events. The only version of the event to remain at a high level of contemporary competition is the women's indoor pentathlon, which is present on the programme for the IAAF World Indoor Championships.
The athletics pentathlon featured on the Olympic Games schedule in two separate periods. During the early history of the event, an Olympic men's pentathlon was held and was present at the 1912, 1920 and 1924 games. [1] The men's event was dropped, with the decathlon becoming the international standard. As women's events increasingly were contested internationally, the women's outdoor pentathlon was added and held for five straight editions from 1964 to 1980. [2] The women's heptathlon superseded that event at international level in the early 1980s.
The International Women's Sports Federation was established in 1921 and the first reported women's pentathlon was in the 1922 Women's Olympiad in Monte Carlo. [3] The events were 60 m, 300 m, high jump, two-hand javelin, and two-hand shot. [3] In the late 1920s, the events were: shot and long jump on the first day, and 100 m, high jump, and javelin on the second day. [3] The first world record recognised by the IAAF was set at the 1934 Women's World Games by Gisela Mauermayer. [3] Prior to Olympic incorporation, the women's pentathlon featured at the AAA Championships, USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the Soviet Athletics Championships from the 1950s onwards. [4] [5] [6]
The outdoor pentathlon is in common usage at lower age categories of the sport, allowing for easier training and event scheduling, and avoiding over-training of young athletes. For example, the lower division of the English Schools Combined Events Championships has pentathlons for both boys and girls. [7] In high school athletics in North America, boys' and girls' pentathlons are held, consisting of the sprint hurdles, long jump, shot put, high jump, and an 800 m run (1500 m run for men). The pentathlon is used because it is less stressful on the athletes than a full multi and because many high school meets only last one day, it allows the event to be contested in the time limit. [8]
Less common, but standardised internationally is the throws pentathlon. This contains field throwing events only: hammer throw, shot put, discus throw, javelin throw, and weight throw. Although it does not have a position in high-profile global athletics competitions, it is present on the programme for the World Masters Athletics Championships for both men and women. [9] [10] This event features at national level in many developed English-speaking nations. [11] [12] [13] [14]
The pentathlon or women's pentathlon is a combined track and field event in which each woman competes in five separate events over one day. The distance or time for each event is converted to points via scoring tables, with the overall ranking determined by total points. Since 1949 the events have been sprint hurdling, high jump, shot put, long jump, and a flat race. The sprint hurdles distance was 80 m outdoors until 1969 and thereafter 100 m; in indoor pentathlon the distance is 60 m. The flat race was 200 m until 1976 and thereafter 800 m. In elite-level outdoor competition, the pentathlon was superseded in 1981 by the heptathlon, which has seven events, with both 200 m and 800 m, as well as the javelin throw. Pentathlon is still contested at school and masters level and indoors.
Dr. Georg Werthner is a decathlete from Austria, who was the first athlete to finish four Olympic decathlons. In the 1988 Olympics, Daley Thompson crossed the finish-line a little more than 18 seconds after him to become the second athlete to do this.
Combined events at the Summer Olympics have been contested in several formats at the multi-sport event. There are two combined track and field events in the current Olympic athletics programme: a men's decathlon and a women's heptathlon.
The Czechoslovak Athletics Championships was an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Czechoslovakia Athletics Association, which served as the national championship for the sport in Czechoslovakia.
The Belgian Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Royal Belgian Athletics League, which serves as the national championship for the sport in Belgium.
The East German Athletics Championships was an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the East German Athletics Federation, which served as the East German national championships for the sport. The three- or four-day event was held in summer months, varying from late June to early September, and the venue changed on an annual basis.
The Dutch Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Royal Dutch Athletics Federation, which serves as the national championship for the sport in the Netherlands. It is typically held as a two- or three-day event in the Dutch summer, ranging from late June to early August. The venue of the championships varies, though Amsterdam's Olympic Stadium has been a regular host.
The West German Athletics Championships was an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the German Athletics Association, which served as the West German national championships for the sport. The two- or three-day event was held in summer months, varying from late June to early August, and the venue changed annually.
The Nordic Athletics Championships was an international athletics competition between Nordic countries – Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. It was held on three occasions, in 1961, 1963 and 1965.
The USATF U20 Outdoor Championships, formerly known as the USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships, is an annual outdoor track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field (USATF) which serves as the national championship for American athletes aged under 20. The competition is also used for American national team selection for the IAAF World U20 Championships in even-numbered years and the Pan American U20 Athletics Championships in odd-numbered years.
The Norwegian Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Norwegian Athletics Association, which serves as the national championship for the sport in Norway. Royal trophies (Kongepokal) are given to the most outstanding male and female athletes of the competition.
The Bulgarian Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Bulgarian Athletic Federation, which serves as the national championship for the sport in Bulgaria.
The Romanian Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Romanian Athletics Federation, which serves as the national championship for the sport in Romania.
The South African Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Athletics South Africa, which serves as the national championship for the sport in South Africa.
The Yugoslavian Athletics Championships was an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Athletic Federation of Yugoslavia, which served as the national championship for the sport in Yugoslavia.
The Swedish Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Swedish Athletics Association, which serves as the national championship for the sport in Sweden.
The Greek Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Hellenic Amateur Athletic Association, which serves as the national championship for the sport in Greece.
The Turkish Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Turkish Athletic Federation, which serves as the national championship for the sport in Turkey.
The Austrian Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Austrian Athletics Federation, which serves as the national championship for the sport in Austria.
