 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(June 2015) |
| Modern pentathlon at the Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC Discipline Code | MPN |
| Governing body | UIPM |
| Events | 2 (men: 1; women: 1) |
| Games | |
Modern pentathlon is a sport contested at the Summer Olympic Games.
Modern pentathlon was created by the founder of the modern Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, and was first contested in 1912. [1] [2] Coubertin was inspired by the pentathlon event in Ancient Olympic Games, which was modeled after the skills of the ideal soldier at the time. Modern pentathlon was also influenced by the tradition of civilian and military multi-sport events in Sweden at the beginning of the 20th century. [3] It combined events that were considered to be of upper-class origin like épée fencing, pistol shooting and riding with more popular ones like running and swimming. [3]
The five events making up modern pentathlon are (as of 2021):
After more than half a century of relative stability, modern pentathlon has been the subject of numerous changes since the 1980s with its place on the Olympic programme in question several times. [4]
Beginning at the 1996 Summer Olympics, the five components were held on a single day instead of five. [2] The same year, the Men's team competition was dropped from the Olympics. The women's event was first introduced at the 2000 Summer Olympics. [1] Since the 2008 Summer Olympics, the air-pistol shooting is held during the 3 km run. [2] Since the 2012 Summer Olympics, shooting is done using a laser gun, [2] and running and shooting was combined as one event. [5]
Modern pentathlon was still criticized as outdated and lacking popularity in the 2010s. [6] The Associated Press reported in 2013 that the International Olympic Committee was considering dropping it from the Olympics. [6] In response to the criticism, the sport's governing body, the UIPM, made changes to the sport, including by having all five contests held in a single stadium. It was planned for the 2016 Summer Olympics but held for the first time at the 2020 Summer Olympics. [6]
The events of modern pentathlon at the Olympic Games were as follows:
| Event | 12 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Épée Fencing | Round-robin | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | Round-robin & bonus | ● | ● |
| Swimming | 300 m | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 200 m | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Riding | Cross-country | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | Show Jumping | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Shooting | Pistol | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | Air Pistol | ● | ● | ● | Laser | ● | ● | ● |
| Cross Country Running | 4000 m | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 3000 m | ● | ● | ● | ● | 3200 m | ● |
| Venues | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
The horse riding event in modern pentathlon has been debated - for different reasons - since the invention of the sport. [4] Coubertin and the organisers of the 1912 Summer Olympics had different views on the availability of horses: Coubertin wanted randomly assigned horses provided by the hosts while the Swedish committee preferred that the competitors bring their own horses. [3]
For the 1988 Summer Olympics cross-country riding was changed to show jumping.
In November 2021, UIPM announced that show jumping would not be a part of the Olympic modern pentathlon starting from the 2028 Summer Olympics, which was connected to an incident in the 2020 Games where German women's coach Kim Raisner had punched pentathlete Annika Schleu's horse. [7] In response, 650 pentathletes put their names on a letter criticizing the lack of collaboration with them and asking for UIPM executives to resign, with UIPM stating it will discuss the matter with them. [8]
Modern pentathlon has been on the Olympic program continuously since 1912. A women's event was not included until the 2000 Games.
| Event | 12 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's individual | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | 26 |
| Men's team | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | 11 | |||||||||||||||
| Women's individual | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total Events | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Sources: [9]
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hungary (HUN) | 9 | 8 | 6 | 23 |
| 2 |  Sweden (SWE) | 9 | 7 | 5 | 21 |
| 3 |  Soviet Union (URS) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| 4 |  Great Britain (GBR) | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| 5 |  Russia (RUS) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 6 |  Poland (POL) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 |  Italy (ITA) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 8 |  Germany (GER) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 |  Lithuania (LTU) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 10 |  Czech Republic (CZE) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 |  Australia (AUS) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Kazakhstan (KAZ) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 13 |  United States (USA) | 0 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| 14 |  Finland (FIN) | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 15 |  France (FRA) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 16 | Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Unified Team (EUN) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 18 |  China (CHN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Egypt (EGY) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Latvia (LAT) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Ukraine (UKR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 22 |  Belarus (BLR) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 23 |  Brazil (BRA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Mexico (MEX) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 South Korea (KOR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (25 entries) | 42 | 42 | 42 | 126 | |
| Nation | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina (ARG) | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australia (AUS) | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 18 | |||||||||||
 Austria (AUT) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||
 Bahrain (BRN) | 3 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belarus (BLR) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 Belgium (BEL) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brazil (BRA) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||
 Bulgaria (BUL) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 Canada (CAN) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||
 Chile (CHI) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| China (CHN) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||
 Chinese Taipei (TPE) | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Cuba (CUB) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Czech Republic (CZE) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 Denmark (DEN) | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||
 East Germany (GDR) | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Ecuador (ECU) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Egypt (EGY) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 Estonia (EST) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Finland (FIN) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 13 | |||||||||||||||
| France (FRA) | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 24 | |||||
 Georgia (GEO) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 United Team of Germany (EUA) | 3 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Germany (GER) | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||
| Great Britain (GBR) | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 28 | ||||
 Greece (GRE) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Guatemala (GUA) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hungary (HUN) | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 21 | ||||||||
 Ireland (IRL) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Italy (ITA) | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 24 | |||||
 Japan (JPN) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||
| Kazakhstan (KAZ) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 Kyrgyzstan (KGZ) | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Latvia (LAT) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Lithuania (LTU) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||
 Morocco (MAR) | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mexico (MEX) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 20 | |||||||||
 Netherlands (NED) | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 New Zealand (NZL) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Norway (NOR) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Peru (PER) | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Poland (POL) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 15 | |||||||||||||||
 Portugal (POR) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 Romania (ROU) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Russia (RUS) | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 ROC | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 South Africa (RSA) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Korea (KOR) | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Soviet Union (URS) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 Spain (ESP) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sweden (SWE) | 12 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 21 | ||||||||
 Switzerland (SUI) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | |||||||||||||||
 Tunisia (TUN) | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Turkey (TUR) | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ukraine (UKR) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unified Team (EUN) | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States (USA) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 24 | |||||
 Uruguay (URU) | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Uzbekistan (UZB) | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Germany (FRG) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nations | 10 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 23 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 26 | 30 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 31 | 60 | ||||
| Athletes | 32 | 23 | 38 | 37 | 24 | 42 | 45 | 51 | 40 | 60 | 37 | 48 | 59 | 47 | 43 | 52 | 65 | 66 | 32 | 48 | 64 | 72 | 72 | 72 | 72 | 823+ | ||||
| Year | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 48 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 88 | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 | |
The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event was first held in 1912, inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the ancient Olympics, and designed to model skills needed by a soldier of that time. As well as being an Olympic event, a world championships has been held annually since 1949.
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente (five) and -athlon (competition). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games. Five events were contested over one day for the Ancient Olympic pentathlon, starting with the long jump, javelin throwing, and discus throwing, followed by the stadion and wrestling. 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.
The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne, 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. 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.
The modern pentathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London was held from 11 to 12 August 2012. The men's and women's events each involved 36 athletes. The venues for the events were the Copper Box (fencing), the Aquatics Centre (swimming), and Greenwich Park.
The Modern Pentathlon Association Great Britain is the national governing body for the sport of modern pentathlon in Great Britain, recognised by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne. Modern Pentathlon, the sport Baron Pierre de Coubertin called ‘the veritable consecration of the complete athlete’ comprises five events: fencing, swimming, riding, shooting and running. Today's competition involves fencing épée for a single hit against each of the other competitors; swimming 200 metres freestyle; riding an unknown horse round a show-jumping course, and then running four 800 metre laps each preceded by shooting at five targets with a laser pistol. First appearing in the Olympic Games of 1912 at the specific request of de Coubertin, founder of the Modern Olympic Games, the same five sports have comprised this greatest of all Olympic challenges and the sport completed one hundred years of unbroken Olympic participation in 2012. Despite technological changes the five events have remained essentially the same. In Stockholm in 1912, competitors brought their own horses, fenced outdoors without electric equipment, used military pistols and swam and ran outdoors. The Stockholm event took six days to complete while the super-athletes of today finish in a single day; in 1912 only men competed while today women share equal billing; the 1912 competitors were nearly all military men while today civilians generally dominate the sport. The recent changes in the sport which combine shooting and running in a single event and make use of laser pistols are some of the exciting new developments that put Modern Pentathlon at the forefront of 21st century sporting advances. Even after one hundred years of Olympic competition, Modern Pentathlon's ability to move with the times has made it the true test of the all-round Olympic super athlete.
Annika Schleu 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 three Olympic Games, finishing in 26th place in 2012 and in 4th place in 2016.
Chloe Esposito is an Australian shooter and modern pentathlon competitor. She competed at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in the 10 m air pistol. She represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, in the modern pentathlon and won the gold medal in the same event at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro.
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.
Kim Raisner is a retired modern pentathlete from Germany. She competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, where she finished fifth in the women's event with a score of 5,312 points. She won the bronze medal in the 1999 world modern pentathlon world championships.
Kara Grant is a two-time Olympic modern pentathlete from Canada. She is one of the first female Canadian modern pentathletes, along with Monica Pinette, to compete at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
Aleksander Leonidovich Lesun is a Belarusian-born naturalized Russian modern pentathlete. He is a multiple-time medalist at the World and European Championships, and was a top-ranked male modern pentathlete in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Ondřej Polívka is a modern pentathlete from the Czech Republic. He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, along with his teammates David Svoboda, who eventually won a gold medal in the men's event, and his girlfriend Natálie Dianová in the women's event. During the men's competition, Polívka made a disastrous start, with a disappointing score in one-touch épée fencing, but managed to keep his pace in swimming and horse-riding. His best competition result happened in a first ever combined running and pistol shooting, where he set two Olympic records for hitting five shots each in three sessions, with a score of 33.6 target points. Polívka finished the last segment in fourth place, despite his staggered start with a handicapped time and his accomplishment in laser pistol; however, he finished the event only in fifteenth place.
Leila Gyenesei is a Hungarian modern pentathlete and cross-country skier. She is a five-time medalist at the World Championships, and is currently ranked no. 19 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM). She is also the daughter of István Gyenesei, former Minister of Local Government and chairman of the Association for Somogy party.
John Zakrzewski is a French modern pentathlete. He is currently ranked no. 179 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Marcin Horbacz is a Polish modern pentathlete. He is also a two-time champion at the 2007 and 2009 World Cup circuit, and is currently ranked no. 106 in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).
Lucie Grolichová is a Czech modern pentathlete. She is a six-time medalist at the World Championships.
Sara Bertoli is an Italian modern pentathlete. She won two medals, silver and bronze, in the women's relay event at the 2002 and 2004 World Championships in San Francisco, California, United States and in Warsaw, Poland, respectively. Bertoli is a member of the modern pentathlon team for Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Azzurre, and is coached and trained by Luigi Filipponi.
The modern pentathlon at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo took place in 2021 at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza and Ajinomoto Stadium.
Laser-run is a multisport competition consisting of running and shooting. It is a sport in its own right and the last event of the modern pentathlon where it was formerly known as combined.
The modern pentathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris is scheduled to take place from 8 to 11 August 2024 at the Palace of Versailles and the Vélodrome National. The Palace of Versailles will host all the modern pentathlon events, excluding the fencing ranking rounds which will occur at the National Velodrome. Two events will be contested, one for men and another for women.
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