S. Korea Sets Record with 4 Gold Medals at Modern Pentathlon Worlds

SEOUL, Jun. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea grabbed four gold medals to set a record for the country at the modern pentathlon world championships that concluded in China on Sunday, brightening hopes for medals at the upcoming Paris Olympics.

South Korea capped its historic run at the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) Pentathlon World Championships by winning the mixed relay gold medal in Zhengzhou, China, on Sunday. Kim Sun-woo and Seo Chang-wan teamed up for the title on the rainy final day, with the horseback riding portion of the five-sport competition canceled.

Kim and Seo collected 1,116 points from fencing, swimming and laser run, which combines running and pistol shooting. They beat the Egyptian team of Malak Ismail and Mohamed Elgendy by six points.

South Korea opened the world championships by sweeping the women’s and men’s relay gold medals last Monday. Kim and Seong Seung-min won the women’s title, while Seo and his partner, Jun Woong-tae, grabbed the men’s gold.

Five days later, Seong won the women’s individual gold medal, becoming South Korea’s first female individual medalist at a modern pentathlon world championship. Jun claimed bronze in the men’s individual event the same day.

Kim and Seo then each picked up their second gold medal of the world championships in the mixed relay event.

South Korea had won two gold medals on two previous occasions — in 2017 and 2022.

“On the first day of this competition, we had the women’s and men’s relays, and we won both gold medals, so it was a great start,” Kim told UIPM’s website. “And now on the last day, we end the competition with another gold medal, so we are very happy. We will have a little bit of rest and then go back to training to prepare for the Olympics.”

There will only be men’s and women’s individual events in Paris, with no relays.

Before the world championships, Jun and Kim had already qualified for Paris by winning the individual gold and silver, respectively, at last year’s Asian Games. Seong grabbed her ticket to Paris by winning the individual title in Zhengzhou.

Seo is expected to join the trio thanks to his world ranking position. He was No. 8 prior to the world championships, with six of the seven athletes ahead of him having already secured their Olympic spots through earlier international events.

“This season, there have been so many competitions, and I’m feeling really good. It has been a very important season ahead of the Olympic Games,” Seo was quoted as saying on UIPM’s website. “At the start of the season, I didn’t have an Olympic place, but I finished in some good positions, and now I can take the Olympic ticket.”

Kim and Jun are well-established veterans in Korean modern pentathlon, with a slew of international medals between them. Seong, 21, has only been competing since 2022, after converting from swimming to modern pentathlon in middle school.

Seong won silver medals at UIPM Pentathlon World Cups last year and earlier this year before cementing her status as the emerging force in the sport with her world title.

“It’s a huge honor to win my first individual gold medal in my third world championship appearance,” Seong said in an interview with UIPM TV. “I am proud of myself. I think I can take some positive feelings into the Olympics.”

The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics is July 26, and the modern pentathlon competition runs from Aug. 8 to 11.

(Yonhap)