pentathlon

[ pen-tath-luhn, -lon ]

noun

1. an athletic contest comprising five different track and field events and won by the contestant gaining the highest total score.
2. modern pentathlon.

pentathlon

/ pɛnˈtæθlən /

noun

1. an athletic contest consisting of five different events, based on a competition in the ancient Greek Olympics Compare decathlon

Derived Forms

• penˈtathlete, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pentathlon¹

1700–10; < Greek pénthāthlon, equivalent to pent- pent- ( def ) + âthlon contest

Word History and Origins

Origin of pentathlon¹

C18: from Greek pentathlon, from penta- + athlon contest

Example Sentences

Sixty years ago in Tokyo, Rand won long jump gold, pentathlon silver and 4x100m relay bronze, 36 years after swimmer Joyce Cooper took three medals home from the 1928 Games in Amsterdam.

From BBC

The final of the modern pentathlon starts with the showjumping at 10:00 BST on Sunday.

From BBC

Great Britain's defending Olympic champion Kate French has withdrawn from the modern pentathlon final in Paris because of illness.

From BBC

Same with modern pentathlon, where Jessica Savner of the U.S. muses about finding “better ways to market and show our sport.”

From Los Angeles Times

Last year, Olympic officials met to decide the fate of modern pentathlon, a sport that for more than a century has combined running, swimming, fencing, shooting and equestrian show jumping.

From Los Angeles Times