# Modern pentathlon at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's individual

The individual modern pentathlon at the 1972 Summer Olympics was one of two modern pentathlon events (both for men), along with the team competition. As usual in Olympic modern pentathlon, one competition was held and each competitor's score was included to the Individual competition event results table and was also added to his teammates' scores to be included to the Team competition event results table. This competition consisted of 5 disciplines:
* Equestrian, held on August 27
* Fencing, held on August 28
* Shooting, held on August 29
* Swimming, held on August 30
* Cross-country, held on August 31

## Results

| Rank | Pentathlete | Nation | | | | | | Total |
| | András Balczó | Hungary | 1060 | 1057 | 956 | 1060 | 1279 | 5412 |
| | Boris Onischenko | Soviet Union | 945 | 1076 | 1066 | 1128 | 1120 | 5335 |
| | Pavel Lednev | Soviet Union | 1060 | 1019 | 1022 | 1092 | 1135 | 5328 |
| 4 | Jeremy Robert Fox | Great Britain | 1100 | 1019 | 868 | 1024 | 1300 | 5311 |
| 5 | Vladimir Shmelyov | Soviet Union | 920 | 962 | 1022 | 1176 | 1222 | 5302 |
| 6 | Björn Ferm | Sweden | 1100 | 943 | 978 | 1112 | 1150 | 5283 |
| 7 | Heiner Thade | West Germany | 1065 | 962 | 956 | 1012 | 1150 | 5145 |
| 8 | Risto Hurme | Finland | 950 | 981 | 1044 | 1068 | 1051 | 5094 |
| 9 | Charles Richards | United States | 1060 | 753 | 956 | 1260 | 1045 | 5074 |
| 10 | Michel Gueguen | France | 1100 | 848 | 846 | 1152 | 1126 | 5072 |
| 11 | John Fitzgerald | United States | 1090 | 848 | 868 | 1204 | 1060 | 5070 |
| 12 | Zsigmond Villányi | Hungary | 975 | 981 | 868 | 1100 | 1123 | 5047 |
| 13 | Ryszard Wach | Poland | 1100 | 715 | 956 | 1076 | 1126 | 4973 |
| 14 | Jørn Steffensen | Denmark | 1005 | 791 | 934 | 1028 | 1129 | 4887 |
| 15 | Pál Bakó | Hungary | 940 | 772 | 912 | 1120 | 1135 | 4879 |
| 16 | Mario Medda | Italy | 895 | 753 | 1088 | 1040 | 1087 | 4863 |
| 17 | Veikko Salminen | Finland | 1015 | 772 | 714 | 1216 | 1135 | 4852 |
| 18 | Wolfgang Leu | Austria | 1085 | 848 | 934 | 1012 | 973 | 4852 |
| 19 | Martti Ketelä | Finland | 1045 | 810 | 912 | 1016 | 1066 | 4849 |
| 20 | Walter Esser | West Germany | 1000 | 829 | 824 | 1080 | 1093 | 4826 |
| 21 | Janusz Pyciak-Peciak | Poland | 1070 | 905 | 560 | 1060 | 1222 | 4817 |
| 22 | Jean-Pierre Giudicelli | France | 960 | 658 | 868 | 1084 | 1237 | 4807 |
| 23 | Dumitru Spirlea | Romania | 975 | 810 | 1022 | 932 | 1015 | 4754 |
| 24 | Bo Jansson | Sweden | 1005 | 848 | 780 | 1076 | 1030 | 4739 |
| 25 | Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall | Sweden | 1020 | 867 | 670 | 1048 | 1099 | 4704 |
| 26 | Georgi Stoyanov | Bulgaria | 1100 | 734 | 890 | 944 | 1027 | 4695 |
| 27 | Hole Rößler | West Germany | 945 | 696 | 846 | 1140 | 1051 | 4678 |
| 28 | Urs Hugi | Switzerland | 1075 | 962 | 846 | 952 | 826 | 4661 |
| 29 | Scott Taylor | United States | 965 | 677 | 626 | 1100 | 1288 | 4656 |
| 30 | Raoul Gueguen | France | 930 | 772 | 824 | 1016 | 1096 | 4638 |
| 31 | Masaru Sakano | Japan | 1050 | 582 | 846 | 972 | 1177 | 4627 |
| 32 | Robert Gordon Barrie | Australia | 1030 | 544 | 912 | 1132 | 982 | 4600 |
| 33 | Yuso Makihira | Japan | 1005 | 753 | 736 | 876 | 1213 | 4583 |
| 34 | Giovanni Perugini | Italy | 1065 | 810 | 736 | 1024 | 946 | 4581 |
| 35 | Peter Zobl-Wessely | Austria | 880 | 791 | 846 | 908 | 1120 | 4545 |
| 36 | Barry Lillywhite | Great Britain | 1070 | 829 | 582 | 1052 | 994 | 4527 |
| 37 | Klaus Petersen | Denmark | 990 | 753 | 692 | 1108 | 949 | 4492 |
| 38 | Marian Cosmescu | Romania | 1045 | 658 | 824 | 996 | 967 | 4490 |
| 39 | Nicolo Deligia | Italy | 1055 | 715 | 736 | 912 | 1069 | 4487 |
| 40 | Stanislaw Skwira | Poland | 785 | 791 | 846 | 1160 | 904 | 4486 |
| 41 | Peter Neville Macken | Australia | 770 | 677 | 956 | 896 | 1150 | 4449 |
| 42 | Gilberto Toledano Sanchez | Mexico | 1090 | 772 | 670 | 908 | 988 | 4428 |
| 43 | Eduarde Olivera Lastra | Mexico | 960 | 734 | 868 | 1020 | 844 | 4426 |
| 44 | Bruno Jerebicnik | Austria | 835 | 848 | 824 | 908 | 1000 | 4415 |
| 45 | Hans Müler | Switzerland | 965 | 696 | 846 | 948 | 937 | 4392 |
| 46 | Jan Bekkenk | Netherlands | 930 | 677 | 692 | 1008 | 1084 | 4391 |
| 47 | Robert Lawson Phelps | Great Britain | 955 | 658 | 736 | 1000 | 1036 | 4385 |
| 48 | Albert Covacs | Romania | 815 | 582 | 714 | 1204 | 1066 | 4381 |
| 49 | Akira Kubo | Japan | 860 | 677 | 912 | 880 | 1042 | 4371 |
| 50 | Velko Bratanov | Bulgaria | 785 | 658 | 956 | 916 | 1024 | 4339 |
| 51 | Beat Ganz | Switzerland | 1030 | 639 | 670 | 888 | 1096 | 4323 |
| 52 | René Heitmann | Denmark | 910 | 658 | 626 | 1008 | 988 | 4190 |
| 53 | Rob Vonk | Netherlands | 870 | 506 | 692 | 1208 | 877 | 4153 |
| 54 | Scott Scheuermann | Canada | 1005 | 430 | 824 | 1044 | 769 | 4072 |
| 55 | Juan José Castilla Ramos | Mexico | 935 | 601 | 714 | 752 | 1012 | 4014 |
| 56 | Kenneth Maaten | Canada | 880 | 544 | 780 | 792 | 991 | 3987 |
| 57 | Angel Pepeliankov | Bulgaria | 1060 | 696 | 0 | 1080 | 1135 | 3971 |
| 58 | Henk Krediet | Netherlands | 985 | 867 | 802 | 0 | 1132 | 3786 |
| 59 | George Skene | Canada | 0 | 487 | 714 | 1108 | 988 | 3297 |