MODERN PENTATHLON

Competitors in the final round of the Men's Modern Pentathlon pull for the finish line at the Goudi Sports Complex on August 26, 2004.

The 'modern pentathlon' is a sports contest consisting of five events, hence the name ''pentathlon''. The events are épée fencing, pistol shooting, 200 m freestyle swimming, a show jumping course on horseback, and a cross-country run. The epithet 'modern' is important to discern it from the ancient athletics pentathlon – none of the events of modern penthatlon were part of the ancient Olympics.
The modern pentathlon was invented by the Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games. As the events of the ancient pentathlon were modeled after the skills of the ideal soldier of that time, Coubertin created the contest to simulate the experience of a 19th century cavalry soldier behind enemy lines: he must ride an unfamiliar horse, fight with pistol and sword, swim, and run.
The event was first contested at the 1912 Olympic Games, and was won by a Swede named Gösta Lilliehöök. Future American World War II General George S. Patton finished fifth.
The modern pentathlon has been on the Olympic program continuously since 1912. A team event was added to the Olympic Games in 1952 and discontinued in 1992 . An event for women was added in 2000 . In non-Olympic years, a World Championship is held, instigated in 1949. Originally the competition took place over four or five days; however in 1996 a one-day format was adopted in an effort to improve the event's commercial image. In spite of the event's strong pedigree in the modern olympics, and its status as the only event created specifically for the modern olympic games, its lack of widespread popularity outside of Eastern Europe has led to calls for its removal from the Olympic games in recent years.
However, a vote by the IOC on July 8, 2005 keeps it in the Olympic Program at least till 2012.
The sport is governed by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), the International Modern Pentathlon Union.

Contents
Disciplines of the modern pentathlon
Shooting
Fencing
Swimming
Riding
Running
World champions
Individual men
Individual women
See also
External links

Disciplines of the modern pentathlon


Shooting

The shooting discipline involves using a 4.5 mm air pistol in the standing position from 10 metres distance at a stationary target. Each competitor has 20 shots, with 40 seconds between each shot.
Fencing

The fencing discipline uses the épée. The competition is a round-robin, with each competitor facing all of the others. Each bout lasts for one minute, with the first to score a hit winning. If neither fencer scores within one minute, the bout is scored as a double loss.
Swimming

The swimming discipline is a 200 m freestyle race. Competitors are seeded in heats according to their fastest time over the distance.
Riding

The riding discipline involves show jumping over a 350-450 metre course with between 12 and 15 obstacles. Competitors are paired with horses in a draw 20 minutes before the start of the event.
Running

The running discipline involves a 3,000 m cross-country race. Competitors are ranked according to their score from the first four disciplines and given different start times, with the leader going first. The first person to cross the finish line is the overall winner of the pentathlon.

World champions


Individual men

YearAthleteNationality
1949 Tage Bjurefelt
1950 Lars Hall
1951 Lars Hall
1953 Gábor Benedek
1954 Björn Thofelt
1955 Konstantion Salnikov
1957 Igor Novikov
1958 Igor Novikov
1959 Igor Novikov
1961 Igor Novikov
1962 Eduard Sdobnikov
1963 András Balczo
1965 András Balczo
1966 András Balczo
1967 András Balczo
1969 András Balczo
1970 Péter Kelemen
1971 Boris Onishchenko
1973 Pavel Lednev
1974 Pavel Lednev
1975 Pavel Lednev
1977 Janusz Pyciak-Peciak
1978 Pavel Lednev
1979 Robert Nieman
1981 Janusz Pyciak-Peciak
1982 Daniele Masala
1983 Anatoli Starostin
1985 Attila Mizser
1986 Carlo Massullo
1987 Joël Bouzou
1989 László Fabian
1990 Gianluca Tiberti
1991 Arkadiusz Skrzypaszek
1993 Richard Phelps
1994 Dmitri Svatkovski
1995 Dmitri Svatkovski
1997 Sebastien Deleigne
1998 Sebastien Deleigne
1999 Gábor Balogh
2000 Andrejus Zadneprovskis
2001 Gábor Balogh
2002 Michal Sedlecký
2003 Eric Walther
2004 Andrejus Zadneprovskis
2006 Edvinas Krungolcas
2007 Viktor Horvath

Individual women

YearAthleteNationality
1981 A Ahlgren
1982 W Norman
1983 L Chernobrywy
1984 S Jakovleva
1985 B Kotowska
1986 I Kisselyeva
1987 I Kisselyeva
1988 D Idzi
1989 L Norwood
1990 E Fjellerup
1991 E Fjellerup
1992 I Kowalewska
1993 E Fjellerup
1994 E Fjellerup
1995 K Danielsson
1996 Janna Dolgaschewa-Schubenok
1997 J Suworowa
1998 Anna Sulima
1999 Zsuzsanna Vörös
2000 P Svarre
2001 Stephanie Cook
2002 Bea Simoka
2003 Zsuzsanna Vörös
2004 Zsuzsanna Vörös
2005 Claudia Corsini
2006 Marta Dziadura
2007 Amelia Caze

See also



List of Olympic medalists in modern pentathlon

External links



UIPM Official Website

A guide to Modern Pentathlon

Modern Pentathlon Australia

http://modern-pentathlon.sportubes.com Modern Pentathlon Internetcommunity

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