Five sports, one champion - welcome to Modern Pentathlon.
The term 'pentathlon' derives from the Greek 'péntathlon', meaning contest of five events, with athletes competing in swimming, fencing, horse riding, shooting and running.
The roots of the event can be traced back to the ancient pentathlon, which included discus, javelin, long jump, the stadium-length race and wrestling.
A soldier's game, modern pentathlon is believed to have been created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, to replicate the experience of a 19th-century cavalry soldier behind enemy lines.
The men’s modern pentathlon was first included in the Olympic schedule back in Stockholm 1912, while the women’s category was added for the first time at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
This summer, the sport will return to Britain for the first time since 2009, with Bath set to host the Modern Pentathlon World Championships between the 19-28 August.
Contested in the brand new 90-minute action-packed format which is set to make its Olympic debut at Paris 2024, defending Olympic champion Joe Choong and European Games medallist Olivia Green will be home favourites in Bath.
As Britain gears up to take centre stage, let us break down the sport for you.
The new 90-minute final format:
35 minutes of equestrian (jumping)
5 minutes break
20 minutes of fencing (épee) - bonus round
10 minutes break
15 minutes of swimming (200m freestyle)
15 minutes break
20 minutes combined event (laser run)
Equestrian: In the saddle
First up, we're heading to the arena for equestrian.
A round of show jumping, athletes are assigned an u
nfamiliar horse before attempting a course with 12 obstacles.
The athletes will have 20 minutes to practice with the horse, form a bond and get used to each other before competing.
Athletes who compete the course with a clear round in the time limit will score 300 points, with points deducted for penalties.
Paris 2024 will be the last time horse riding is included in the programme.
Fencing: En garde!
A head-to-head sword fight, the fencing round of the modern pentathlon couldn't be more cavalry soldier.
On the opening day of competition, a fencing ranking round takes place where athlete takes on athlete in two rounds of one-touch epee fencing, a bout lasting one minute or until the first hit.
If a bout goes to time both athletes are marked as losing, with points scored for each victory.
In the second round of competition - seeded by results in the first - losing a bout eliminates the competitor.
A total score of 70% of victories (25 out of 35 possible bouts) equals 250 points.
In the final, a fencing bonus round will take place after the equestrian, with an athlete earning two points for each victory.
The top fencer from the ranking round goes last in the elimination format, meaning they only have one bout to win the maximum four points and become the last athlete standing.
Swimming: Diving into the deep end
Next, it's a quick dip in the pool for a 200m freestyle race.
Originally set at 300m, it was at the 2000 Sydney Olympics that the distance was shortened.
Athletes are seeded into heats depending on their pentathlon world ranking score and compete in a 200m race against their other competitors.
A time of two minutes and 30 seconds or faster will receive a score of 250 points, with points added or dropped for every second faster or slower.
Laser Run: The final hurdle
Two for the price of one, the final discipline of Modern Pentathlon spells double trouble.
A combined event that puts shooting and running together, the overall points leader will set off first in a staggered start, with each successive athlete starting according to a handicap based on their points deficit to the leader to the tune of one point equals one second.
A 3.2km course, athletes must stop four times throughout the run to shoot at targets with a laser pistol.
Each round, they must remain at the target until they secure five hits or until 50 seconds have passed.
And in a final dash for the finish line, it's all or nothing, with the first person across the line granted the title of champion.
Sportsbeat 2023