Paris Olympics await Korea's modern pentathletes — four world champions

Olympic Sports

Published: 26 Jul. 2024, 12:30 Updated: 26 Jul. 2024, 13:58

Paris Olympics await Korea's modern pentathletes — four world champions

Jun Woong-tae cheers after crossing the finish line in first place in the men's individual modern pentathlon at Hangzhou Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, on Sept. 24, 2023. [NEWS1]

Jun Woong-tae, who won Korea’s first modern pentathlon Olympic medal in Tokyo, will vie for another spot on the podium as he leads a four-person national squad at the Paris Olympics.

And all members of the Korean modern pentathlon team are reigning world champions.

Jun enters the men’s pool after securing his return with a gold-medal finish at the Hangzhou Asian Games last fall.

He’ll be joined in the men’s competition by Seo Chang-wan, his relay partner at the world championships in Zhengzhou, China, where they won gold.

Seo, who locked in his first Olympics berth through the world rankings, also won a gold medal in the mixed relay, partnering with Kim Sun-woo. And Kim teamed up with Seong Seung-min to win the women’s relay.

They won’t have a chance to recreate their relay success in Paris, though, as modern pentathlon at the Olympics runs solely as an individual event.

But Seong, who will be competing at her first Olympics, is perhaps Korea’s best chance yet at landing a spot on the women’s podium. The 21-year-old is the reigning individual women’s world champion, becoming the first Korean woman to win an individual modern pentathlon world title in Zhengzhou.

Seong Seung-min trains during a modern pentathlon media day at the Armed Forces Sports Unit in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang on June 28. [YONHAP]

Kim, who will notch her third Olympics berth, could also ride the momentum of Korea’s world championships success.

Modern pentathlon features five different sports — fencing, riding, swimming, running and shooting. Running and shooting are combined into a laser-run, where athletes alternate between running and shooting at a target.

Athletes use epee swords in the fencing event, which spans two rounds — a ranking round and a single-elimination bonus round.

The riding competition pairs athletes with an unfamiliar horse, and they compete with the horse on a show jumping course.

And all athletes swim a 200-meter freestyle race.

Seong Seung-min, left, and Kim Sun-woo practice swimming during a modern pentathlon media day at the Military Sports Unit in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang on June 28. [YONHAP]

Athletes’ points from fencing, riding and swimming are tallied to determine their starting positions for the running and shooting event. The winner of the laser-run takes gold.

Modern pentathlon runs from Aug. 8 to 11, beginning with the first fencing round at the North Paris Arena. All other events take place at the Palace de Versailles.

BY MARY YANG, KEVIN CHUNG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]