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Pentathlon

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Quick Guide to Olympic Modern Pentathlon

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Is modern pentathlon the weirdest Olympic sport?

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Understand Modern Pentathlon in 2 minutes

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Ban Modern Pentathlon Show Jumping from Olympics

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Watch Full Video of Annika Schleu's Competing in Modern Pentathlon at the Tokyo Olympics

A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente (five) and -athlon (competition). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games. Five events were contested over one day for the Ancient Olympic pentathlon, starting with the long jump, javelin throwing, and discus throwing, followed by the stadion and wrestling. Pentathletes were considered to be among the most skilled athletes, and their training was often part of military service—each of the five events in the pentathlon was thought to be useful in war or battle.