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Pentathlon

"The most perfect sportsman, therefore, are the pentathletes because in their bodies strength and speed are combined in beautiful harmony." - Aristotle, Rhetoric, fourth century B.C.

THE ANCIENT GAMES

The pentathlon was a contest of five exercises: discus, long jump, javelin, running and wrestling, held in that order in one afternoon. While running and wrestling also were separate events, the other three were not contested outside the pentathlon. It is uncertain how winners were declared, but it seems if one person won the first three events, a winner was declared and the final two events were canceled.

Diskos - There has been much discussion about the method of discus in antiquity, with most scholars arriving at the conclusion that ancient throwers made about a three-quarter turn before release but did not spin. Discuses could be made of bronze, marble or lead and were generally much heavier than today's wood and metal version. At Olympia, three officials discuses were kept to ensure fairness.

Halma - Of all the ancient events, javelin throwing bore the closest resemblance to actual warfare. Lighter and longer than a spear, a javelin enabled a soldier to attack from a distance. Athletes used javelins that were lighter than military ones because the object was distance, not penetration. There is one major difference between the throwing method used by ancient Greeks and modern athletes. The Greeks used a leather thong, called an ankyle, that wound around the middle of the shaft. When it was thrown, the thong unwound, causing the javelin to spin and, therefore, remain steady in flight.

Akon - The ancient long jump differed from its modern counterpart in that Greeks used hand weights, called halteres, to propel themselves. The halteres, made of stone and shaped roughly like an old-fashioned telephone receiver, were held in each hand. The jumper thrust the weights forward on takeoff and swung them backward near landing. Split-second timing was critical for the movement of arms and legs, making the akon one of the most difficult events.

Stadion - This foot race within the pentathlon was identical to the event of the same name, a sprint one length of the stadium.

Pale - Wrestling was the pentathlon's big finish, with only upright wrestling permitted.

The pentathlon was a test of an athlete's versatility. Competitors were admired for their physiques because the variety of skills produced a flexible body that lacked in what the Greeks considered to be contorted, bulging muscles.

According to legend, the pentathlon was created by Jason of the Argonauts, who combined the five events into one to compete against his friend, Peleus. Jason declared Peleus the victor after his friend won the wrestling and finished second in every other event.

The ancient pentathlon morphed into a grueling one-day challenge that blends shooting, fencing, swimming, show-jumping and a 3,000-meter run, known as the modern pentathlon.

But the true spirit of the classic Greek event lives elsewhere - in one of the most heralded of Olympic competitions, the decathlon.

For nearly a century, the decathlon has become the accepted gauge in determining the world's greatest athlete. It is a brutal, 10-step test of strength and stamina over two days, involving the 100 meters, long jump, shot put and high jump and 400 meters on Day 1, the 110 meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 meters on Day 2.

That best-athlete distinction dates to 1912, when legendary Jim Thorpe won the decathlon in Stockholm, prompting King Gustav to declare, "You sir, are the world's top athlete."

The heptathlon is the decathlon's female equivalent. It began in 1964 as a pentathlon but was expanded to eight events in 1984: the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200 meters on Day 1, and the long jump, javelin and 800 meters on Day 2. The heptathlon's most famous name: Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who won two Olympic gold medals and one silver.

"Competition is my life - winning is my only goal." - Two-time Olympic Decathlon champion Daley Thompson

Thorpe was named "Athlete of the First Half Century" and certainly maintains his legendary stature in the decathlon to this day.

But the event spawned an array of other major names in the years to come:

Bob Mathias, a 17-year-old Californian who became the youngest decathlete in history in 1948 at the London Games and who, four years later in Helskini, became the first man to win two decathlon golds; Rafer Johnson, the gold medal winner in Rome; and Bruce Jenner, who smashed the world record in winning gold in the 1976 Montreal Games, waving an American flag in a memorable victory lap.

But a case could be made for Great Britain's Daley Thompson as the greatest decathlete ever, given the way he dominated the event in the 1980s.

Thompson, who finished 18th behind Jenner in '76, made his move in 1980 during the Moscow Games boycotted by, among other nations, the United States and Germany. Thompson won with relative ease, and the prevailing view is that he would have won even if top challengers Bob Coffman of the U.S. and Guido Kratschmer of Germany had been allowed to compete.

Thompson erased any doubt in Los Angeles in 1984 by winning his second decathlon gold. The Soviet Union boycotted this time, but Thompson was still in a class by himself.

Then, in the Seoul Games of '88, Thompson battled through injuries in his fourth Olympics. Even at age 30, he was still a force, just missing out on the bronze medal.

Still, Thompson established remarkable dominance in the sport: 12 straight victories on high-profile stages, capping a run known as "The Daley Decade."

Tom Pappas is the big story for the United States, returning to his Greek roots as the gold medal decathlon favorite. But another competitor to watch closely is Bryan Clay, who upset Pappas in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Sacramento last month.

Clay was behind by three points heading into the final five events but surged past Pappas in the discus, pole vault and javelin to amass a personal best 8,660 points. Clay is the smallest competitor in the decathlon at 5 feet 11, 174 pounds. The last two years, he has shadowed Pappas closely, finishing second to him twice at the Nationals.

"I've always been the underdog because of my height and weight," he is quoted on NBC's Olympic Web site. "I think there's a lot more to come."

In the heptathlon, Great Britain's Denise Lewis, the 2000 Olympic champion, says she's on course to defend her crown despite a foot injury.