Pentathalon
conceptThe five-event Olympic competition combining running, jumping, discus, javelin, and wrestling, considered the test of the complete athlete.
The Myth
The pentathlon was introduced at the ancient Olympics in 708 BC and was considered the supreme test of all-round athletic ability. The five events were: stadion (a sprint of about 192 metres), halma (standing long jump, performed holding stone or lead weights called halteres), diskos (discus throw), akon (javelin throw), and pale (wrestling). Athletes competed naked and oiled. The order and elimination system are debated by scholars — one theory is that competitors were eliminated after each event, with the final pair wrestling for the victory. The pentathlete was considered the ideal of physical beauty because training for five events produced a balanced physique, unlike the bulk of wrestlers or the leanness of runners. Aristotle praised pentathletes as the most beautiful athletes. Myron's famous Discobolus (discus thrower) sculpture depicted a pentathlete mid-throw — one of the most recognised images in art history.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The halteres — stone or lead jumping weights used in the ancient pentathlon's long jump — have been shown by biomechanics researchers to actually increase jump distance by 5-17 centimetres when used correctly, by shifting the athlete's centre of mass forward during flight. The Greeks weren't using decorative props; the weights were genuine performance-enhancing technology. Modern long jumpers might benefit from them, but the rules don't allow hand-held equipment — meaning 2,700-year-old Greek sports technology is too advanced for the modern Olympics.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
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