Modern pentathlon

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The modern pentathlon is an Olympic multisport that consists of five events: fencing (one-touch épée followed by direct elimination), freestyle swimming, obstacle course racing, laser pistol shooting, and cross country running. The sport 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. It has been a continuous part of the Summer Olympics since 1912, and a world championship has been held annually since 1949. The rules of the modern pentathlon have changed several times, especially in recent decades. Most notably, equestrian show jumping was one of the five events for more than 100 years, but was replaced by obstacle course racing in senior competitions as of 2025. The event has been condensed from five days to one day, and further down to two hours. The latest structure, as of the 2024 Olympics, consisted of separate events for fencing, swimming, and equestrian, points from which...

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