Modern Pentathlon

George S. Patton Jr. Forged a Blazing Legacy in the World of Olympic Athletes as the First American Soldier to Compete in the Pentathlon

History of the Modern Pentathlon

Originally a one-day competition combining discus and javelin throwing, a long jump, running, and wrestling, the Greek Pentathlon was introduced in 708 BC. When the founder of the modern-era Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, revitalized the sport for the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, he designed it as the ultimate challenge for the most talented athletes. This new sport was to take place over five days and included a 300-meter swimming race, fencing, cross-country equestrian steeplechase, rapid-fire pistol shooting, and ended with a 4,000-meter cross-country run. Thus the sport of Modern Pentathlon was born.

For 37 years, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) governed the sport of Modern Pentathlon, ensuring the sport they created thrived. It was not until 1949 that the Union Internationale Pentathlon Moderne, the UIPM, was formed and continues to be the official international governing body of the sport. They explain Pierre de Coubertin’s inspiration of the competition in the following way:

The choice of the five diverse and unrelated sports which make up the Modern Pentathlon arose out of the romantic, rough adventures of a liaison officer whose horse is brought down in enemy territory; having defended himself with his pistol and sword, he swims across a raging river and delivers the message on foot.

George Smith Patton, Jr. OLY

Though there is no record of exactly how George Patton became an Olympian, it is clear his dedication to physical fitness and remarkable athletic ability played a role in his representing the United States in the 1912 Olympics.

His unwavering discipline bordered on the extreme, and he was renowned for working through injury and pure exhaustion. During the modern pentathlon, while most of the competitors fired with .22s, Patton decided to shoot his Army-issued .38 as he felt it was far more appropriate given his military standing. It was this particular event that caused controversy that is still discussed to this day. It was fiercely debated that the score was not based on the outcome of his shots missing the target but that the shots had passed through holes already left by previous rounds. It is argued by many that if it weren’t for the “bullet controversy” in the target shooting part of the pentathlon, Patton would clearly have won a medal and broken the Swedish reign.

Out of 43 international competitors, George Patton ultimately finished in 5th place. Ever embodying the spirit of competition, Patton immediately sought a second chance and secured his place on the US Team to compete in the next Olympic Games to be held in Berlin. However, WWI stifled his hopes of a second chance at a Gold medal, and he did not have the opportunity to compete.

The Evolution of Modern Pentathlon

Though Patton is remembered as one of America’s greatest army generals, it was his use of sport to personally train in physical and mental challenges that perfected his fearless strategies and tactics he would later use on the battlefields. Always on the lookout for a sport that would challenge him at a higher level, it’s easy to see how the multiple disciplines that make up a pentathlon would truly appeal to him.

The sport of pentathlon continues to live up to its name in modernization, allowing for the ever evolving complete athlete to emerge. What began as a simulation of the perilous journey of a military cadet in the early 20th Century, now portrays the challenges of today’s hybrid soldier in the 21st Century. From real ammunition to pellets, to laser pistol; from steeplechase, to show jumping, to obstacle course racing; this sport continues to challenge the complete athlete. Today, Pierre de Coubertin’s vision of the ideal athlete lives on in the Olympic Games ensuring that the very best of athletes at the highest level of ability compete on the world stage.

Patton Legacy Sports ™ honors George Smith Patton Jr. OLY’s contribution to the sport of Modern Pentathlon. We support the international governing body of the sport, the UIPM, as they perform their due diligence, not only in governance but also their efforts in the adaptation of the sport so that it will stay a thriving force in excellence.