Jun Woong-tae of the modern pentathlon advanced to the final in a higher ranking than in Tokyo...Seo Chang-wan also went to the finals

Aug 10, 2024

Jeon Woong-tae (Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall) of the five modern types of men challenging for a gold medal reached the final without difficulty. Seo Chang-wan (National Army Sports Unit) also succeeded in going to the final.

Jeon Woong-tae scored 1515 points in the men's semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics at the Modern pentathlon Stadium in Versailles, France, on the 10th (Korea time), ranking second in Group B. Nine out of 18 contestants were successfully qualified for the final. In the fencing ranking round the previous day, Jeon started in fourth place, higher than three years ago (9th), and passed the semifinals with a high score, expressing his hopes for a second consecutive Olympic medal. Jeon won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Games and won Korea's first medal in modern pentathlon. Seo Chang-wan also reached the final together in fifth place in Group B with 1503 points.

Modern pentathlon is a sport in which one athlete performs fencing, swimming, horseback riding, track and field, and shooting, and after a fencing ranking round in which all 36 participants take turns on the first day, the semifinals and finals follow. The top nine players from each group of the semi-finals, who play in two groups of 18, will advance to the final and compete for medals. In the semifinals and finals, the equestrian obstacle race, the 'survival' type fencing bonus round, the 200m swimming race, and the laser run (3,200m) combining track and field and shooting will all be held to determine the ranking by the combined score.

Seo Chang-wan, who was ranked 10th (225 points) in the fencing round on the previous day, received a perfect 300 points for his perfect performance that never caught an obstacle in the first event, while Jeon Woong-tae, who was ranked 4th (235 points) in the fencing round, received 286 points in horse riding. Since then, he ranked third in Group B (525 points) and Jeon Woong-tae (521 points). In the fencing bonus round, only Jeon Woong-tae added two points, keeping the two players in third and fourth place.

In the swimming, which was again divided into three groups, Jeon Woong-tae ranked first (1:59.90) and Seo Chang-wan ranked second (2:00:79), adding 311 points and 309 points, respectively, while the two players played in the lane right next to the same group. After swimming, they jumped to the lead of Group B with the same total score of 834, and started a laser run side by side that differentiated the starting time according to the performance of the previous events. Jeon Woong-tae, who was looking for a chance in the third place until the middle, took the lead in the fourth shot with a precise blast and secured the final place after a fierce neck-and-neck race with Daishu Sato of Japan. Seo Chang-wan also failed to keep the lead, but he got a ticket to the finals without difficulty.

Jeon Woong-tae said, "I'm happy to be in the top 18 (finalists). As a modern pentathlon player, it's an honor to play in the Olympics in Paris, and I'm happy to have a good semifinal match. "It's physically difficult because it's the final tomorrow, but when I take the course properly, it helps me with image training and good performance. Today is the day I tasted it, and the real thing is tomorrow..." he strengthened his will. Seo Chang-wan also said, "I think I can do better tomorrow because I can adapt through today's game."I'll do my best with Woong-tae so that I don't have any regrets tomorrow."I vowed.

The tournament is held in France, which is equivalent to the modern pentathlon and has a special meaning for the athletes who participated. The fact that the place is the Palace of Versailles also draws attention. Even though the medal was not decided on this day, the spectators of the stadium with the view of the Versailles Grand Canal and the palace were full, and the cheering heat shone even more. Jeon Woong-tae and Seo Chang-wan will try to win a medal in the final at 6:30 p.m. on the 11th.

vanbasten@sportschosun.com