Modern pentathlon at the Summer Olympics

Modern pentathlon at the Summer Olympics
Governing body	UIPM
Events	2 (men: 1; women: 1)
Games
1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Medalists

Modern pentathlon is a sports contest created especially for the Summer Olympic Games by the founder of the modern Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, and was first contested in 1912. Coubertin was inspired by the pentathlon event in Ancient Olympic Games, which was modeled after the skills of the ideal soldier at the time.

The modern pentathlon simulates the experience of a 19th-century cavalry soldier behind enemy lines: he/she must ride an unfamiliar horse, fight with pistol and sword, swim, and run. Therefore, the modern pentathlon event comprises the five sport disciplines:

• épée fencing
• pistol shooting
• 200 metre freestyle swimming
• show jumping on horseback
• 3 km cross country running is being replaced by track event in 2020.

Events

Modern pentathlon has been on the Olympic program continuously since 1912. A women's event was not included until the 2000 Games.

Medal table

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Hungary (HUN)	9	8	5	22
2	Sweden (SWE)	9	7	5	21
3	Soviet Union (URS)	5	5	5	15
4	Russia (RUS)	4	1	0	5
5	Poland (POL)	3	0	1	4
6	Great Britain (GBR)	2	2	3	7
	Italy (ITA)	2	2	3	7
8	Germany (GER)	2	0	1	3
9	Lithuania (LTU)	1	2	1	4
10	Czech Republic (CZE)	1	0	1	2
11	Australia (AUS)	1	0	0	1
	Kazakhstan (KAZ)	1	0	0	1
13	United States (USA)	0	6	3	9
14	Finland (FIN)	0	1	4	5
15	France (FRA)	0	1	2	3
16	Czechoslovakia (TCH)	0	1	1	2
	Unified Team (EUN)	0	1	1	2
18	China (CHN)	0	1	0	1
	Latvia (LAT)	0	1	0	1
	Ukraine (UKR)	0	1	0	1
21	Belarus (BLR)	0	0	2	2
22	Brazil (BRA)	0	0	1	1
	Mexico (MEX)	0	0	1	1
Totals (23 nations)		40	40	40	120

Nations and number of national participants

Nation	96	00	04	08	12	20	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20	Years
Argentina (ARG)											3	3	1	3														2		5
Australia (AUS)												1	3	3	3	3	2	2	1	3	1	3	1	2	2	1	2	2		17
Austria (AUT)					1					2				3	3	3	3		2	3	1						1			10
Bahrain (BRN)																				3	3									2
Belarus (BLR)																								2	3	4	4	1		5
Belgium (BEL)							4	3		3	3	1		1																6
Brazil (BRA)										3	3	3	3	3	1										2	1	1	2		10
Bulgaria (BUL)																3	3	3	3			2		1				1		7
Canada (CAN)																	3	3			3	2			2	3	2	2		8
Chile (CHI)											2	3	3		1						3					1	1			7
China (CHN)																					1	1		2	3	4	4	4		7
Chinese Taipei (TPE)																				1	2									2
Cuba (CUB)																										1		2		2
Czech Republic (CZE)																									3	3	3	3		4
Czechoslovakia (TCH)							2	3			2		1			1		3	3		3	3								9
Denmark (DEN)					4	4	3	2						1		1	3	2		1				1						10
East Germany (GDR)																3														1
Egypt (EGY)																				3	3	3		1	2	3	3	3		10
Estonia (EST)																						1	1	1						3
Finland (FIN)						2	3	3		3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3										13
France (FRA)					2	4	4	3	1	3	3	3	1	3		3	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	3	4	3	3	3		23
Georgia (GEO)																							1							1
United Team of Germany (EUA)														3	3															2
Germany (GER)					1			3	3	3		3										3		2	3	4	4	4		11
Great Britain (GBR)					3	4	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	1	2	2	4	4	4		27
Greece (GRE)										1												1		1	2					4
Guatemala (GUA)																						1			1	1	1	2		5
Hungary (HUN)								1	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3		3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4		20
Ireland (IRL)																			3								2	2		3
Italy (ITA)						1	4	3	3	3	3	3	1	3	1	3	3	3	1	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4		23
Japan (JPN)														2	3	3	3	3		3	3	1				1	3	3		11
Kazakhstan (KAZ)																							2		2	2	2	2		5
Kyrgyzstan (KGZ)																							1		2					2
Latvia (LAT)																						3	1	2	2	2	2	1		7
Lithuania (LTU)																						3	1	1	2	4	3	3		7
Morocco (MAR)														2																1
Mexico (MEX)									2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3		2	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	2		19
Netherlands (NED)					1		4	3	1	3							3													6
New Zealand (NZL)																			1											1
Norway (NOR)					2	2	2																							3
Peru (PER)										1												1								2
Poland (POL)								3						3			3	3	3		3	3	2	3	4	4	3	3		14
Portugal (POR)								1	2			3								3	1	1	1							7
Romania (ROU)													3				3		3			1	1	1						6
Russia (RUS)					5																		3	3	4	4	4	3		7
South Africa (RSA)												1	3	1								1	1	1						6
South Korea (KOR)															1					3	3	3	1		2	3	3	3		9
Soviet Union (URS)												3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3										9
Spain (ESP)											3			2					3	3	3	3				1				7
Sweden (SWE)					12	4	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	1	2	1					21
Switzerland (SUI)										3	3	3		3		1	3	1		3	3	1	1	1	1	1				14
Tunisia (TUN)														3																1
Turkey (TUR)																												1		1
Ukraine (UKR)																							1	3	1	3	4	3		6
Unified Team (EUN)																						3								1
United States (USA)					1	2	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3		3	3	3	1	4	4	4	3	3		23
Uruguay (URU)											3	3									1	1								4
West Germany (FRG)																3	3	3		3	3									5
Nations					10	7	11	14	10	16	16	19	16	23	15	18	20	17	17	18	26	30	22	24	26	27	26	28		57
Athletes					32	23	38	37	24	42	45	51	40	60	37	48	59	47	43	52	65	66	32	48	64	72	72	72		823+
Year	96	00	04	08	12	20	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20

See also

• List of Olympic venues in modern pentathlon

References

• Sandra Heck (2013) Modern Pentathlon at the London 2012 Olympics: Between Traditional Heritage and Modern Changes for Survival, The International Journal of the History of Sport, 30:7, 719-735, doi:10.1080/09523367.2013.782485

• Sandra Heck: Von Spielenden Soldaten und kämpfenden Athleten. Die Genese des Modernen Fünfkampfes. Göttingen: V & R Unipress. 2013, ISBN 978-3-8471-0201-4

• Heck, Sandra. "Making Debrouillards: the modern pentathlon and the pursuit of completeness." Olympika: The International Journal of Olympic Studies, vol. 19, 2010, p. 139+. Gale Academic Onefile, Accessed 27 Sept. 2019.

External links