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.
Hungary competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. Hungarian athletes have competed at every Summer Olympic Games in the modern era, except the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, and the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles because of the Soviet boycott. The Hungarian Olympic Committee sent a total of 209 athletes to the Games, 119 men and 90 women, to compete in 20 sports. Water polo and handball were the only team-based sports in which Hungary had its representation in these Olympic Games. There was only a single competitor in road cycling and mountain biking.
The men's modern pentathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Olympic Modern Pentathlon Centre in Goudi Olympic Complex on 26 August. Thirty-two athletes from 20 nations participated in this event.
Andrejus Zadneprovskis is a retired Lithuanian modern pentathlete who won the silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, as well as bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Zadneprovskis won the gold medal in the Modern Pentathlon World Championships in the year of 2000 and 2004. He also earned the bronze medal at the Modern Pentathlon World Championships 2006 in Guatemala. In 2010 he retired from sport due to health problems.
Boris Grigoryevich Onishchenko is a former Soviet modern pentathlete who competed at the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics.
William Oscar Guernsey Grut was a Swedish modern pentathlete. He competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, where he won the gold medal in modern pentathlon. Grut was a multiple Swedish swimming champion and received the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1948.
Björn Bernt Ewald Ferm is a Swedish modern pentathlete. He competed at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics and won an individual gold medal in 1968. In 1968, his team finished third but was stripped of the bronze medal after one member failed a drug test.
The men's modern pentathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was held on Thursday, August 21. Three venues were used: Olympic Green Convention Center, Ying Tung Natatorium (swimming), and the Olympic Sports Center Stadium.
Katherine Fiona “Kate” Allenby MBE is a British modern pentathlete who competed in two Summer Olympics, taking the bronze medal at the 2000 Games and placing in 8th place in 2004. She has won medals at four World Championships, and after retiring from sport, she became a physical education teacher in Bath, England.
Jeremy Robert "Jim" Fox OBE was a British modern pentathlete and Olympic champion.
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 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.
Nicholas Lloyd Woodbridge is a British modern pentathlete. The modern pentathlon includes the disciplines of shooting, swimming, fencing, equestrian, and cross country running. Woodbridge competed for Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics, in Beijing, China, and finished 25th in the men's modern pentathlon. He also competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. where he finished in 10th place despite being ranked 3rd in the world. In 2013 he achieved his best career result when he took the silver medal in the World Championships.
Samuel Weale is a British modern pentathlete who has competed at the Olympic Games. Weale competed for Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics, in Beijing, China, and finished 10th in the men's modern pentathlon. He also competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. His identical twin Chris is a retired professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Peter Whiteside was a British modern pentathlete. He competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics, and he was the British Modern Pentathlon champion in 1985. He died from complications due to COVID-19.
Mary Beth Iagorashvili is a retired American modern pentathlete. She is also the first U.S. female modern pentathlete and one of the twenty-four athletes to participate in the first-ever women's event at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. In 1999, she married Georgian-born modern pentathlete Vakhtang Iagorashvili, who won an individual bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Monica Pinette is a two-time Olympic modern pentathlete from Canada. She is one of the first female Canadian modern pentathletes, and the only indigenous athlete of (Métis) to compete at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Her 13th-place finish overall at the 2004 Summer Olympics was Canada's best recorded performance in the modern pentathlon to date.
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).
Esteban Bustos Rodríguez is a modern pentathlete from Chile. He was born in Santiago. He won a bronze medal at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, and received an automatic qualifying berth for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, following the footsteps of his brother Cristián, who had previously competed in Beijing, four years before.
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).
Andrea Valentini is an Italian modern pentathlete. He won a bronze medal in the men's team event at the 2004 World Championships in Moscow, Russia. Valentini is a member of the modern pentathlon team for Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Azzurre, and is coached and trained by Luigi Filipponi.
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