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The pentathlon or women's pentathlon is a

combined track and field event Combined track and field events are competitions in which athletes participate in a number of track and field events, earning points for their performance in each event, which adds to a total points score. Outdoors, the most common combined events ...

in which each woman competes in five separate events over one day (formerly two days). The distance or time for each event is converted to points via scoring tables, with the overall ranking determined by total points. Since 1949 the events have been sprint hurdling,

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

, long jump, and a flat race. The sprint hurdles distance was 80 m outdoors until 1969 and thereafter

100 m The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

; in indoor pentathlon the distance is

60 m 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior athl ...

. The flat race was

200 m The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

until 1976 and thereafter

800 m The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...

. In elite-level outdoor competition, the pentathlon was superseded in 1981 by the

heptathlon A heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek επτά (hepta, meaning "seven") and ἄθλος (áthlos, or ἄθλον, áthlon, meaning "competition"). A competitor in a hept ...

, which has seven events, with both 200 m and 800 m, as well as the javelin throw. Pentathlon is still contested at school and masters level and indoors.

History

The word ''

pentathlon A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words ''pente'' (five) and -''athlon'' (competition) ( gr, πένταθλον). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of t ...

'' is derived from the Greek ''pente'' (five) and ''athlon'' (contest). The ancient Olympic pentathlon comprised a sprint, the javelin and discus throws, long jump, and wrestling. The

modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event is inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the anci ...

is a multi-sport event. In men's track and field, pentathlon competitions were held in the 20th century, but the ten-event

decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in Athletics (sport), athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek language, Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ...

became the standard multi-event contest. The International Women's Sports Federation was established in 1921 and the first reported pentathlon was in the

1922 Women's Olympiad The 1922 Women's Olympiad ( and ) was the secondMonte Carlo. The events were: 60 m, 300 m, high jump, two-hand javelin, and two-hand shot. In the late 1920s, the events were: shot and long jump on the first day, and 100 m, high jump, and javelin on the second day. The first world record recognised by the

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

was set at the

1934 Women's World Games The 1934 Women's World Games (french: 4è Jeux Féminins Mondiaux) were the fourth edition of the international games for women. The tournament was held between 9–11 August at the White City Stadium in London, United Kingdom.

by Gisela Mauermayer. From 1949 the events were: shot, high jump, and 200 m on the first day; 80 m hurdles and long jump on the second. The scoring tables were changed in 1954, and again in 1971. In 1961, the order of the events was changed to: 80 m hurdles, shot, and high jump on the first day; long jump and 200 m on the second, in 1971 the 80 m hurdles were changed to 100 m hurdles. From 1977 all were contested in a single day. Pentathlon was contested at the European Athletics Championships from

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

, and at the Olympics from

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

until

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

. The IAAF has not ratified world records in outdoor pentathlon since replacing it in 1981 with the heptathlon.

Indoors

The pentathlon is still held indoors, where the heptathlon cannot be held as arenas are too small for the javelin throw. It was added to the IAAF World Indoor Championships as an unofficial event in 1993 and officially

in 1995 IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independ ...

. The indoor pentathlon is held over a one-day period. Each athlete completes one event at the same time, then there is a 30-minute break until the next event. The current world record is 5013 points by Nataliya Dobrynska at the 2012 World Indoor Championships.

All-time top 25

(60 m hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump, 800m) *Correct as of March 2022.

Notes

Below is a list of scores equal or superior to 4867 pts: * Katarina Johnson-Thompson also scored 4983 (2019). * Carolina Klüft also scored 4944 (2007), 4933 (2003). * Jessica Ennis-Hill also scored 4937 (2010). *

Natallia Dobrynska Nataliya Dobrynska ( uk, Наталія Добринська; born 29 May 1982) is a retired Ukrainian heptathlete. She is the 2008 Olympic champion and also holds the heptathlon best in the shot put. Her indoor pentathlon best of 5013 points ...

also scored 4880 (2012). * Nafissatou Thiam also scored 4870 (2017). * Tia Hellebaut also scored 4867 (2008).

Annulled marks

Tatyana Chernova Tatyana Sergeyevna Chernova (russian: Татьяна Серге́евна Чернова; born 29 January 1988 in Krasnodar) is a Russian former heptathlete. She was originally awarded the bronze medals at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics befo ...

of Russia's score of 4855 pts was annulled due to doping offence. *

Anastasiya Mokhnyuk Anastasiya Mokhnyuk ( uk, Анастасія Мохнюк, born 1 January 1991) is a Ukrainian athlete who specialises in the heptathlon. She competed in the 2015 World Championships in Athletics – Women's heptathlon, heptathlon event at the 20 ...

of Ukraine's score of 4847 pts was annulled due to doping offence.

World record progression

World records (WR) compared to Pentathlon Bests (PB)

Olympic medalists

World Indoor Championships medalists

Season's bests

Contemporary outdoor pentathlon

As well as indoor events at all levels, outdoor pentathlon is still common in

high school athletics Amateur sports are sports in which participants engage largely or entirely without remuneration. The distinction is made between amateur sporting participants and professional sports, professional sporting participants, who are paid for the time ...

. It is simply a smaller version of the

or a heptathlon. For girls, it is 100 m high hurdles, long jump, shot put, high jump, and an 800 m run. The pentathlon is used because it is less stressful on the athletes than a full multi and because many high school meets only last one day, it allows the event to be contested in the time limit.

References

External links

Women's indoor pentathlon rankings
from

IAAF list of Women's pentathlon records in XML

Women, Pentathlon/Heptathlon
''Track and Field Statistics'', including: {{Athletics events

Pentathlon A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words ''pente'' (five) and -''athlon'' (competition) ( gr, πένταθλον). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of t ...

Women

Indoor track and field