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The history of Modern Pentathlon is one of the most exciting of the Olympic sports! The sport originated from a legend where a warrior has to surmount many obstacles to convey a message. This messenger had to not only battle on horseback, but to swim and run to complete his task.The roots of Modern Pentathlon can be traced to the ancient Pentathlon, a sport that included Discus, Javelin, Long-Jump, Running and Wrestling. This ancient form was incorporated into the ancient Olympic Games in 708 BC.

Baron de Coubertin wished to include a combined sport into the Modern Games that would focus on the all-round skills of the “super athlete.” Pentathlon was first introduced at the Stockholm Olympics in 1912. Previously held over four to five days, it emerged in its present form as a one- day event at the Atlanta Games in 1996.

In its modern form, Shooting comes first and involves firing 20 shots from an air pistol at a 17cm-square target. Fencing follows, with a round-robin competition between each participant. Swimming is represented as a 200 m freestyle race. Next on the events menu is Show Jumping after which athletes gear up for the final event–the 3000m Cross Country run. This sport has raised the bar for the most physically demanding of Olympic sports!