Olympic Modern Pentathlon

36 men and 36 women compete for just two gold medals

NOTE:
Fencing takes place at the Handball Arena - Olympic Park
Swimming takes place at the Aquatics Centre - Olympic Park
Riding and the combined run/shoot event take place at Greenwich Park

Despite the name suggesting that the modern pentathlon is a very recent addition to the Olympic Games, it has in fact been part of the games since 1912 and has its origins in the 19th century.

It is thought that the concept of the modern pentathlon actually arose from the French cavalry where they were required to travel on horseback in order to deliver important messages. The five key sports for the modern pentathlon are riding, fencing, shooting, swimming and running as these were considered to be the key skills needed by these cavalry members during their journeys.

Each athlete competes in all five of the events and in the first four events they are awarded points to reflect their performance. In the fifth and final event which is the cross country run, the starting positions are determined by virtue of the number of points gathered in the first four events. The winner is then the first person to finish the running race.

The sport was introduced by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1912 although he said that the idea was largely generated from a similar event in the 708BC Olympic Games. The events in this early version were thought to include running, jumping, throwing spears and discusses and wrestling.

Since 1996 the modern pentathlon has been held over just two days making it one of the best tests of all round capability and strength of the competitors.