▲ South Korea's Seong Seung-min poses with her gold medal and the official tournament mascot, Honohon, after winning the gold medal in the women's individual modern pentathlon final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Anjo Sports Park, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 20th.
Seong Seung-min, who captured the first gold medal for the South Korean delegation at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games by winning the women's modern pentathlon, expressed her joy over repeatedly writing new history for South Korean women's modern pentathlon while stating that she will not rest on her laurels.
After winning the women's individual modern pentathlon event at the Asian Games held at Anjo Sports Park in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, today (the 20th), Seong shared her thoughts, saying, "Following the semifinals, I am happy that I wrapped up all events cleanly today as well, and I am thrilled to bring home the gold medal."
Earlier today, Seong accumulated a total of 1,492 points across fencing, swimming, obstacle racing, and laser run (running + shooting) to claim first place, becoming the protagonist of the South Korean delegation's very first gold medal of this Asian Games.
Having won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics to become the first female Asian athlete to medal in the sport, Seong set another historic milestone by becoming the first South Korean athlete ever to win an individual gold medal at the Asian Games.
"I earned the modifier of 'first' during the Paris Olympics, and I am truly happy to receive such a title once again," Seong said.
Comparing the Paris Olympics to this tournament, Seong emphasized, "I think I have become an athlete who doesn't just feel overwhelmed by tension in game management, but can enjoy the atmosphere a bit. I will not settle here and will become an athlete who works even harder."
Showing great condition starting from the fencing ranking round on the first day, Seong maintained stable skills through the semifinals and finals, ultimately climbing to the top of the podium.
In particular, by becoming the gold medalist in the first individual event at the Asian Games since equestrian was replaced by obstacle racing in modern pentathlon following the Paris Olympics, she demonstrated a flawless adaptation to the new era.
"I finished first starting from fencing today, and I am very glad that I recorded 29 seconds in obstacle racing, which is better than my 30-second range in the semifinals, and my favorite events, swimming and laser run, are always events I like and feel confident in, so I was able to finish them well," Seong said.
Starting the final laser run—where starting times are staggered based on results from fencing, obstacle racing, and swimming—in first place and facing a pursuit from Chinese athletes, Seong shared, "I was nervous before it started, but once the race actually began, I didn't look at the athletes behind me and just focused on my own race ahead."
In the team event, where rankings are decided by combining the scores of the top three individual athletes from each country, South Korea combined with Seong Seung-min, Kim Eun-ju, and Shin Su-min to claim the silver medal, securing two medals in women's modern pentathlon at this tournament.
"I had thought that if I won a medal, it would be the first gold medal (considering the schedule), but I restrained myself from jumping to conclusions," Seong said, sending her "golden energy" by adding, "The South Korean delegation's first gold medal is deeply meaningful. I hope the other Korean athletes competing moving forward achieve great results as well."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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