At the
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ...
in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, a single
modern pentathlon
The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event is inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the anc ...
event was contested.
The event was held at the Aldershot Lido outdoor pool in Hampshire.
Competition format
The modern pentathlon consisted of five events. The competition used a point-for-place system, with the lowest total across the five events winning.
[Official Report, p. 416.]
* Riding: a
show jumping
Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes ...
competition. Riders started with 100 points and could lose points either through obstacle faults or going over the 10-minute time limit. Negative scores were possible. Ties were broken by the specific time taken, with the quicker rider winning.
* Fencing: a round-robin, one-touch épée competition. Score was based on number of bouts won.
* Shooting: a
rapid fire pistol
25 meter rapid fire pistol is one of the ISSF shooting events and is shot with .22 LR pistols. The event has been a part of the Olympic program ever since the beginning in 1896, although its rules changed greatly before World War II, after whic ...
competition, with 20 shots (each scoring up to 10 points) per competitor.
* Swimming: a 300 m
freestyle swimming
Freestyle is a category of swimming competition, defined by the rules of the International Swimming Federation (FINA), in which competitors are subject to a few limited restrictions on their swimming stroke. Freestyle races are the most commo ...
competition.
* Running: a 4 km race.
Participating nations
45 athletes from 16 nations competed at the London Games:
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Results
References
External links
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{{Modern pentathlon at the Summer Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics events
1948
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect.
** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
Modern pentathlon competitions in the United Kingdom
Men's events at the 1948 Summer Olympics