Modern Pentathlon, Seong Seung-min and Kim Seon-woo Advance to Finals... 'Men and Women Both Aim for Medals' [Paris Olympics]

World No.1 Seong Seung-min, Medal Expectations Raised

Korean modern pentathlon hopefuls Seong Seung-min (21, Korea National Sport University) and veteran Kim Sun-woo (28, Gyeonggi Provincial Government) both advanced to the Olympic finals.

On the 10th (local time), Seong Seung-min of Korea entered for the equestrian event in the women's modern pentathlon semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics held at the Palace of Versailles in France.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 10th (Korean time) at the 2024 Paris Olympics women's semifinals held in Ch?teau de Versailles, France, Seong Seung-min scored a total of 1400 points in fencing, equestrian, swimming, and laser-run (running + shooting), finishing 4th in Group A and securing a spot in the finals, which are reserved for the top 9 out of 18 competitors. Kim Sun-woo, competing in Group B, also secured a ticket to the finals by finishing 5th in her group with 1396 points.

Seong Seung-min was first selected as a senior national team member in November 2021 and has drawn attention as a promising athlete by placing in individual events at the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) World Cup since last year. This season alone, she has finished as runner-up twice in the World Cup and became the first Korean female athlete to win the individual title at the World Championships in June, currently holding the world number one ranking.

After ranking 8th (225 points) in the fencing ranking round on the 8th, Seong added 293 points in her first event, equestrian, despite knocking down one obstacle. Although she did not gain additional points in the fencing bonus round, she added 286 points by finishing 4th overall in swimming with a time of 2 minutes 12.44 seconds, bringing her total to 804 points and maintaining 4th place.

In the laser-run, where start times are staggered based on previous event scores, Seong started 9 seconds behind the leader and competed within the 2nd to 4th place range before finishing 4th. Defending champion Kate French (United Kingdom) also advanced to the finals, finishing 5th with 1398 points, just behind Seong.

On the 10th (local time), at the 2024 Paris Olympics Modern Pentathlon Women's Semifinal Laser Run event held at the Palace of Versailles in France, South Korea's Kim Sun-woo is running vigorously. [Image source=Yonhap News]

This is Kim Sun-woo’s third Olympics. She ranked 11th with 220 points in the fencing ranking round and scored a perfect 300 points in equestrian without any penalties, placing 5th in Group A with a total score.

Although she did not earn additional points in the fencing bonus round, she added 282 points in swimming with a time of 2 minutes 14.44 seconds, ranking 4th with 802 points.

Starting the laser-run 33 seconds behind the leader, Kim secured her place in the finals by finishing 5th, just one point behind Laura Heredia (Spain), Michelle Guly?s, and Blanka Guzi (both Hungary, 1397 points).

Earlier, in the men's division, Jeon Woong-tae (29, Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall) and Seo Chang-wan (27, Military Sports Corps) both secured spots in the finals. This sets the stage for a joint medal challenge for both men and women in modern pentathlon.

The women's final is scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. Korean time on the 11th.