Technical details
Modern Pentathlon consists of shooting, fencing, swimming, horse riding and
running, all competed in the course of one day.
Shooting: Air pistols are used in this section of the Modern Pentathlon.
Competitors must stand at a distance of 10 metres and fire 20 shots on command
at the targets.
Fencing: Competitors use epee blades, which have a maximum length of 110cm,
with a stiff, triangular, fluted shape and are electronically wired at the point
for scoring. Athletes face every other competitor in a series of one-minute
bouts. The first to score a hit within this time limit wins.
Swimming: 300m freestyle, swum in heats according to personal best time.
Horse Riding: Competitors draw lots for a horse and have only 20 minutes to
get to know it. They then face 12 obstacles over a 430-450m course. Riders start
with 1,100 points - and points are deducted for knockdowns, refusals, falling
off and for going over the time limit. If the final time is twice the limit then
the competitor is eliminated from the event.
Running: This is the final leg of the Modern Pentathlon and is over a 4km
course, marked out over undulating terrain.
Five facts
1) Modern Pentathlon was invented by Baron de Coubertin (founder of the modern
Olympic movement) - the allegory being that of a soldier delivering a message,
his horse being killed and the competitor having to "fight his way clear", by
sword and pistol before swimming across a river and running to the final
destination.
2) Modern Pentathlon was introduced to the Olympic Games in 1912.
3) The women's event was included in the Olympic programme for the first time
in Sydney, where Britain's Stephanie Cook took gold and Kate Allenby bronze.
4) The Great Britain teams won gold at the 1976 Games in Montreal and bronze
in 1988 in Seoul.
5) Jim Fox has been one of the most influential figures of Modern Pentathlon
in Great Britain, forming part of the winning team in 1976 and holding the
British title a record 10 times.
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