Noun
A fivefold athletic performance peculiar to the great national games of the Greeks, including leaping, foot racing, wrestling, throwing the discus, and throwing the spear.
Source: Webster's dictionaryAlong with the two gold medals, Thorpe also received two challenge prizes, which were donated by King Gustav V of Sweden for the decathlon and Czar Nicholas II of Russia for the pentathlon. Source: Internet
Aristotle discussed the significance of the pentathlon in his treatise Rhetoric and reflected on the athlete aesthetic of the period: "a body capable of enduring all efforts, either of the racecourse or of bodily strength. Source: Internet
Along with the decathlon and pentathlon, he competed in the long jump and high jump. Source: Internet
Jim Thorpe, ca. 1910 Thorpe entered the U.S. Olympic trials for both the pentathlon and the decathlon. Source: Internet
Although the pentathlon was primarily decided on place points, points were also earned for the marks achieved in the individual events. Source: Internet
However, an innovation was introduced in 2009 to make the finale of the pentathlon more exciting. Source: Internet