The exciting new Sports of Modern Pentathlon

There are so many great ways to build up to a full Modern Pentathlon or for modern pentathletes to get competition practice for certain elements of the sport with the exciting sub-sports developed by the international governing body, Union International de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).

The following events are held in Australia, and a leg of the UIPM Global Laser Run City Tour will be held in Sydney on the 22nd of September. Keep checking the Events Calendar for details.

Modern Pentathlon is seen as the highest point of the sport that athletes work towards. The competition consists of the five disciplines of swimming, fencing, riding and the combined event of running and shooting.

Tetrathlon is the last step before being able to compete fully in modern pentathlon. The Tetrathlon consists of 4 of the 5 sports – swimming, fencing, running and shooting. The Tetrathlon is the event that young pentathletes compete in.

The Triathle was developed in 2013, and is a relatively new sport in the world of the UIPM and pentathlon. Athletes compete in 3 out of the 5 events – swimming, running and shooting. Internationally, pentathlon organisations are finding that triathle is a great starting point for school-aged kids into the world of pentathlon.

Biathle is only 2 of the 5 sports – the swim and the run, which is structured in a race-like format, unlike the other sports of pentathlon where there is a break between each discipline. The swim is 200m and the 3km run follows, which is similar to aquathlon and triathlon (with the cycling).

World Schools Biathlon is a swimming and running event the UIPM have developed to expose young athletes to the UIPM modern pentathlon and scoring. It provides an opportunity for State and National Federations to identify young talent for development into full pentathlon athletes.

The UIPM developed the event called Laser Run in 2015, coming from the combined event it is the newest sport in the pentathlon family. It consists of running and shooting and is the final event of a full Modern Pentathlon or it is contested as a stand-alone competition for athletes aged from 8 to 80.

The Laser Run is a dynamic race which includes four rounds of laser pistol shooting from 10 metres and an 800-metre run, four times. Athletes have to hit a target 5 times before they can run. The total number of hits is 20 and the total running distance is 3,200 metres.

The Laser Run Global City Tour is held in over 70 cities around the world.

Contact Modern Pentathlon Australia to learn more about the Global Laser Run event in Australia each year and how to try the other sports of Modern Pentathlon.