Seo Chang-wan wins gold at Pentathlon World Cup

Seo Chang-wan (27) clinched his inaugural gold medal in the individual event at the International Union of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM) World Cup, enhancing his prospects for competing in the Paris Olympics.

In the men's individual finals of the 2024 World Cup held in Ankara on Saturday (local time), Seo secured the gold medal with an impressive total score of 1,497 points, edging out Egypt's Mutaz Muhammad who scored 1,490 points. This triumph marks his first victory in the UIPM individual event. Previously, his highest achievement was a silver medal attained at the World Cup Finals hosted at the same venue in June 2022.

Seo, who accumulated the highest points tally of 841 points across fencing (2nd place), swimming (6th place), and horseback riding (10th place) on the day, commenced the final laser run (shooting + track and field) in the lead and maintained his advantage till the end. “I have always felt insecure about my fencing abilities, but my strong showing in this event was pivotal in securing the victory,” he said. He garnered 254 points in fencing.

In the women's individual finals, Seong Seung-min (21) clinched the silver medal with a total score of 1,401 points, closely trailing behind Kerenza Bryson of Great Britain, who secured 1,427 points. Despite starting the Laser Run in 7th place, she surged through the rankings to claim 2nd place overall.


Hong-Gu Kang windup@donga.com