Penathlon betting: the main things and important factors

The modern pentathlon can also go by the name sports pentathlon. They are a combination of several different sports disciplines. In this article we will talk about the most important things to know about pentathlons, if you are going to bet on them.

A pentathlon today includes five seperate disciplines: 

• Fencing
• Swimming
• Jumping
• Running
• Shooting

This means we have four sports at once (one is not a typical sport), in which the athlete should be equally good. Pentathletes are considered ideal athletes. A few words first about the history of the sport. The first pentathlon competitions were held at the ancient Greek Olympic Games.

The participants at that time were mostly soldiers. The pentathlon today got its modern look in the early 20th century, when Pierre de Coubertin asked to include a mx of various competitions in the Olympic Games. Until the middle of the century, only officers were allowed to compete. 

Pentathlon Rules and Schedule

Pentathlons consist of five disciplines, two of which (shooting a gun and running) are combined into one. Usually competitions are held according to a standard schedule and a specific order of disciplines:

1. Fencing
2. Swimming
3. Jumping
4. Running
5. Shooting

Each individual sport has its own standard, and by completing them the athlete will receive 250 points (300 points in the jumping competition). If the standard is surpassed and the athlete performs to a higher standard, they will receive extra points. If the participant does not reach the norm, they will have points removed.  

The athlete should try and aim for a standard score of 1000 in each discipline. Fencing is the first and longest stage. All participants must fight each other in a circular system. The duel goes to the first successful shot. To meet the standard, you need to apply 70% of accurate injections (i.e. win 70% of fights). 

Swimming is a 200-meter freestyle swim. The standard is set at two minutes 30 seconds. For every second after this time, points begin to get taken away. Jumping is the only discipline where the athlete is given 300 points. The scoring is complex – it is necessary to not only quickly complete finish the race, but also to make as few technical errors as possible. 

Running and shooting with a laser pistol is the final stage. Here, participants line up depending on how they scored on the previous stages. The athlete who has so far achieved the best results will start first, followed by the rest in order: every four points difference between opponents scores allows a one-second quicker start. 

Types of Pentathlon Bets

How to Bet on a Pentathlon

Pentathlons have a huge amount of small and medium nuances that only a deeply dedicated analyst can know. It is almost impossible to find a qualitative forecast for this sport. Most experts appear during major competitions like the Olympic Games. 

It is worth knowing the complete athletic background of the athletes: which sport did he focus on, how long did he play and what were his greatest accomplishments. This information will help you to better determine which athlete to bet on at a particular stage of the competition. 

When betting on the competition, you should pay special attention to the horses. Athletes meet their four-legged teammates only 20 minutes before the start. Carefully follow the test races and observe how the horse obeys the rider, whether there are any barriers when passing the more difficult elements, etc. 

The last type of pentathlon program (running and shooting the pistol) is handled differently by each athlete. Pre-examine whether the participant had an athletic past or how he was engaged in running. Runners in pentathlons very often will snatch the lead in the final stage from those who performed better in the first three stages.

Which Sportsbooks are taking bets on pentathlons?

Unfortunately, the pentathlon is overlooked by sportsbooks. The sport appears in the betting lines only during the Olympic Games. Even during the World Pentathlon Championship, it is rare to see offers for this competition in sportsbook lines. However, the American sports betting industry is rapidly growing, so the room for pentathlon betting to grow as well is there.