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At the Paris Olympics, athletes in this sport will compete in a speedy, revamped version of the competition at the iconic Palace of Versailles.
PARIS, France — Coming from Greek meaning "contest of five events," the modern pentathlon is an all-around competition that tests athletes on their skills across five challenging and somewhat obscure sports.
At the Paris Olympics, athletes in this sport will compete in a revamped, faster version of the event at the iconic Palace of Versailles.
Here's what to know as the modern pentathlon begins at the Paris Olympics.
What are the events in modern pentathlon?
Equestrian
In this event, the competitors complete a show jumping obstacle course where the athlete rides a horse completely new to them. Horses are assigned by a name draw just 20 minutes before the athletes compete.
Fencing
Athletes compete in two rounds of fencing in the ranking portion of the pentathlon. Every athlete competes individually against each other in a bout lasting one minute or until the first hit, and a bonus round. The bonus round is a 45-second bout, single elimination.
Swimming
Athletes race in a 200-meter freestyle swim and earn points based on their time.
Laser run
Athletes are ranked and staggered by their scores in equestrian, fencing and swimming for the final event, a race called the laser run that combines running and shooting at targets.
Athletes run a total distance of 3,200 meters with four shooting stops, where the athlete must aim a laser pistol and hit five electronic targets. They can keep running after hitting all five targets or after 50 seconds, whichever is faster. The first person across the finish line wins gold.
Modern pentathlon changes
These events are typically spread out over several days, but in an attempt to boost popularity of the obscure sport, the semifinal and final will be condensed into 90-minute competitions at the Paris Olympics with a new order of events.
The format of the modern pentathlon has evolved throughout the years. The equestrian section was once a cross-country race but was changed to show jumping in 1988. A team event was added in 1957 and dropped in 1992. The women's event was added in 2000.
More changes are coming in the near future: Paris will be the last Olympics where the sport includes the equestrian event. The sport was initially dropped from the 2028 Olympics lineup, but will take place with horse riding replaced with obstacle racing.
Modern pentathlon schedule at the Paris Olympics
Thursday, Aug. 8
Friday, Aug. 9
Saturday, Aug. 10
11:30 a.m. EDT: Men's Final
Sunday, Aug. 11
2:00 a.m. EDT: Women's Final
The modern pentathlon isn't the only track and field competition at the Paris Olympics combining multiple events together.
What is the heptathlon?
The heptathlon has female athletes compete across 7 different track and field events over two days.
The first day of heptathlon events include the 100-meter hurdles, the high jump, shot put and the 200 meters. The second day of competition includes the long jump, the javelin and the 800 meters.
Competitors receive points for each separate discipline and the overall winner is the person that has the most points after the 7 events.
What is a decathlon?
The decathlon sees male athletes compete across 10 different track and field events over two days.
The first day of competition includes the 100 meters, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400-meters. The second day of competition includes the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and finally the 1500-meters.
Competitors receive points for each separate discipline and the overall winner is the person that has the most points after the 10 events.
Only men compete in the decathlon.
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