The modern pentathlon is an Olympic multisport that currently consists of fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, laser pistol shooting, and cross country running. Equestrian will be replaced by a form of obstacle course racing at the 2028 Summer Olympics.
The International Modern Pentathlon Union, commonly known by the acronym UIPM, has been the international governing body of modern pentathlon since its foundation in London in 1948. Its headquarters are in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, and it has 115 national federation members in 2018 and 133 members in 2024. Modern pentathlon was introduced at the fifth Olympiad in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1912, comprising the contemporary sports of pistol shooting, fencing, swimming, horse riding and running, which embraced the spirit of its ancient counterpart.
Obstacle course racing (OCR) is a sport in which a competitor, traveling on foot, must overcome various physical challenges in the form of obstacles. Races vary in length from courses with obstacles close together to events of several kilometers which incorporate elements of track, road and/or cross country/trail running. Courses may include climbing over walls or up ropes, monkey bars, carrying heavy objects, traversing bodies of water or mud, crawling under barbed wire, and jumping through fire. Since the beginning of modern OCR in 1987, the sport has grown in popularity such that more than 2500 events are held annually across the world and several run organizing companies are commercially successful.
Annika ZillekensnéeSchleu is a German modern pentathlete. She won the gold medal of the relay event at the 2012 World Championships and 2017 World Championships. She has competed in four Olympic Games, finishing in 26th place in 2012 and in 4th place in 2016. In 2021, at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Zillekens, under her maiden name Annika Schleu, received widespread attention after her treatment of the horse she was assigned for the riding portion of the event went viral. Her reaction, and the resulting controversy of the event, partially contributed to modern pentathlon removing equestrian jumping from their competition.
Sarolta Kovács is a Hungarian modern pentathlete. An individual and team World Champion, she competed in the modern pentathlon at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics.
Anastasiya Prokopenko, nee Samusevich is a Belarusian modern pentathlete who competed at three Summer Olympics.
Narumi Kurosu is a Japanese modern pentathlete. Kurosu is from Shimotsuma, Ibaraki. Her training facilities were devastated in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake risking her qualification for the 2012 Summer Olympics. However, she was offered suitable training facilities by a South Korean coach and she relocated to the country for training. Kurosu qualified for the Olympic Games at the Asian Championships.
The modern pentathlon at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro took place from 19 to 20 August 2016 at Deodoro Aquatics Centre, Deodoro Stadium, and Youth Arena.
Natsumi Tomonaga is a Japanese modern pentathlete.
Max Esposito is an Australian modern pentathlete. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the men's event. He was the youngest athlete in the race and finished seventh. Esposito has also competed in one Youth Olympic Games and one World Modern Pentathlon Championships.
Charles Fernandez is a Guatemalan modern pentathlete. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the men's event and finished fifteenth. Fernandez won the men's modern pentathlon at the 2015 Pan American Games. He also won a gold medal at the World Junior Championships. Fernandez has competed in three World Modern Pentathlon Championships as well as multiple youth and junior world championships and a Central American and Caribbean Games.
Jun Woong-tae is a South Korean modern pentathlete.
World Obstacle, institutional name Fédération Internationale de Sports d’Obstacles(FISO), is the international governing body for obstacle sports and related events. Disciplines include Ninja and Obstacle Course Racing (OCR). Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, it sanctions world and continental level events.
This article lists the main modern pentathlon events and their results for 2018.
This article lists the main modern pentathlon events and their results for 2017.
This article lists the main modern pentathlon events and their results for 2016.
This article lists the main modern pentathlon events and their results for 2015.
Kim Se-hee is a two-time gold medal-winning Modern Pentathlete from South Korea.
Lee Ji-hun is a South Korean modern pentathlete. He won the silver medal in the men's event at the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Pakistan Modern Pentathlon Federation (PMPF) is the governing body for the Olympic sport of modern pentathlon in Pakistan. The Federation was formed in 2014 and has its headquarters in Lahore.
