Women's pentathlon#World record progression

File:Nataliya Dobrynska 2012.jpg celebrating her pentathlon win at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships]]

The word pentathlon is derived from the Greek pente (five) and athlon (contest). The ancient Olympic pentathlon comprised a sprint, the javelin and discus throws, long jump, and wrestling. The modern pentathlon is a multi-sport event. In men's track and field, pentathlon competitions were held in the 20th century, but the ten-event decathlon became the standard multi-event contest.

The International Women's Sports Federation was established in 1921 and the first reported pentathlon was in the 1922 Women's Olympiad in Monte Carlo.{{cite book|last=Matthews|first=Peter|title=Historical Dictionary of Track and Field|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dQFHe9RwE0wC&pg=PA164|access-date=11 May 2016|year=2012|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810867819|pages=164–5|chapter=Pentathlon}} The events were: 60 m, 300 m, high jump, two-hand javelin, and two-hand shot. In the late 1920s, the events were: shot and long jump on the first day, and 100 m, high jump, and javelin on the second day. The first world record recognised by the IAAF was set at the 1934 Women's World Games by Gisela Mauermayer.

From 1949 the events were: shot, high jump, and 200 m on the first day; 80 m hurdles and long jump on the second. The scoring tables were changed in 1954, and again in 1971. In 1961, the order of the events was changed to: 80 m hurdles, shot, and high jump on the first day; long jump and 200 m on the second, in 1971 the 80 m hurdles were changed to 100 m hurdles. From 1977 all were contested in a single day. Pentathlon was contested at the European Athletics Championships from 1950 to 1978, and at the Olympics from 1964 until 1980. The IAAF has not ratified world records in outdoor pentathlon since replacing it in 1981 with the heptathlon.{{cite web|url=http://www.iaaf.org/records/by-category/world-records|title=World Records|publisher=IAAF|access-date=11 May 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://trackfield.brinkster.net/RecProgression.asp?RecCode=WR&EventCode=WF9&T=P&P=F|title=Women, Pentathlon > World Records Progression|last=Nonna|first=Michael|work=Track and Field Statistics|publisher=Brinkster|access-date=11 May 2016}}

{{see also|List of European Athletics Championships medalists (women)#Pentathlon}}

{{anchor|Indoors}}

The pentathlon is still held indoors, where the heptathlon cannot be held as arenas are too small for the javelin throw. It was added to the IAAF World Indoor Championships as an unofficial event in 1993 and officially in 1995. The indoor pentathlon is held over a one-day period. Each athlete completes one event at the same time, then there is a 30-minute break until the next event. The current world record is 5055 points by Nafissatou Thiam at the 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships.

{{category see also|Combined events at the IAAF World Indoor Championships|Combined events at the European Athletics Indoor Championships}}

(60 m hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump, 800m)

• Correct as of 10 March 2023.{{cite web|url=http://www.iaaf.org/records/toplists/combined-events/pentathlon/indoor/women/senior|title=Pentathlon – women – senior – indoor|work=All-time top lists|publisher=IAAF|access-date=11 May 2016}}

Below is a list of scores equal or superior to 4781 pts:

• Katarina Johnson-Thompson also scored 4983 (2019).
• Carolina Klüft also scored 4944 (2007), 4933 (2003).
• Jessica Ennis-Hill also scored 4937 (2010).
• Nafissatou Thiam also scored 4904 (2021), 4870 (2017).
• Natallia Dobrynska also scored 4880 (2012).
• Tia Hellebaut also scored 4867 (2008).
• Adrianna Sułek also scored 4860 (2023), 4851 (2022).
• Noor Vidts also scored 4823 (2023).

• Tatyana Chernova of Russia's score of 4855 pts was annulled due to doping.
• Anastasiya Mokhnyuk of Ukraine's score of 4847 pts was annulled due to doping.

{{Olympic medalists in women's pentathlon}}

As well as indoor events at all levels, outdoor pentathlon is still common in high school athletics. It is simply a smaller version of the decathlon or a heptathlon. For girls, it is 100 m high hurdles, long jump, shot put, high jump, and an 800 m run. The pentathlon is used because it is less stressful on the athletes than a full multi and because many high school meets only last one day, it allows the event to be contested in the time limit.

• {{portal-inline|Sport of athletics}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• [http://www.iaaf.org/records/toplists/combined-events/pentathlon/indoor/women/senior Women's indoor pentathlon rankings] from IAAF
• [https://iaaf.gekko.de/?a=combined-events&d=pentathlon IAAF list of Women's pentathlon records in XML]
• [http://trackfield.brinkster.net/events.asp?EventCode=WF9&P=F Women, Pentathlon/Heptathlon] Track and Field Statistics, including:

{{Athletics events}}

Pentathlon

Women

Pentathlon

Pentathlon

Pentathlon

Category:Indoor track and field