

The jump has been a modern Olympic track and field event since 1896 with athletes settling records never since seen in modern times. The long jump symbolized the ability to cross some form of obstacle.

The long jump is the only known jumping event in Ancient Greece, and most sports in Greek city-states were used as training for combat. During ancient Greek periods, athletes used to hold stones or weights in their hands during the jump and release them by pushing them backward towards the end of the flight to propel them forward. The sport has its roots in the ancient Greek Olympic games. The Ancient Greek sport of jumping is what is known as long jump, broad jump, or horizontal jump today. In the modern Olympics, running was the most diversified event with different races ranging from short races to mid and long races. During the ancient period, Greeks were good runners. In ancient Greek culture, running contests included speed tests of approximately 219 yards known as the stade race, the diaulos which were a 437 yard race, and a longer race called dolichos. Running is an old sport that does not include contact. Each of the five events gathers different points, and the overall winner is usually the one with the most points. However, due to the evolution of the event and the need to make pentathlon less bloody, modern pentathlon is more focused on skills of shooting, swimming, fencing, equestrianism, and a cross country run. Because of the extra skills and strength needed for the pentathlon, soldiers comprised the largest number of competitors and winners.
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Pentathlon events can be traced to Ancient Greek Olympic Games in Olympia city-state where it included the long jump, javelin throw, discus throw, stadion (a series of short races), and a wrestling match as the main event. The Pentathlon is a competition with five different sporting events.

Pentathlon is a word of Greek origin formed by combining two words, pente (five) and athlon (competition). Though the love of the sport is still present in modern Greece, they no longer tend to be the top performer in the Olympic Games. Greeks loved sports, especially contact sports, and they built public gymnasiums where people would train and compete. Most of the Olympic Games as we know them today were either invented or practiced by citizens of ancient Greece. Initially, the Olympics were a one-day event until 684 BC when the games were extended to three days. Soldiers in ancient Greece were known to be strong and skilled in combat. Therefore, even during leisure and sport, a Greek citizen was in a constant state of practice. The Greeks performed so well in these events because sports were developed to pass critical military and survival skills. During the early ages, Greeks dominated sporting events and military conquests.
