(Photo: Yonhap News) ▲ South Korea's Seong Seung-min, who won the gold medal in the modern pentathlon final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Anjo Sports Park in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 20th, poses for a commemorative photo with other athletes who won the team silver medal. From left are Kim Eun-ju, Seong Seung-min, Shin Su-min, Coach Kim Sung-jin, and Jang Ha-eun.
Despite fundamental changes such as the replacement of discipline events, the modern pentathlon national team achieved strong results at the Asian Games. However, Head Coach Kim Sung-jin expressed his joy over the achievements while emphasizing that more thorough preparation is needed to extend this glory to the Los Angeles (LA) Olympics two years from now.
At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya modern pentathlon, which concluded on the 20th at Anjo Sports Park in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, South Korea tied with China for first place with two gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal.
Having swept the overall championships at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games (one gold, two silver, one bronze) and the 2022 Hangzhou Games held in 2023 (two gold, two silver, one bronze), South Korea shared the top spot with China this time, but successfully defended its status as the powerhouse of Asia.
In the women's individual event, Seong Seung-min (Korea National Sport University) achieved the first-ever victory by a South Korean female athlete, while Jeon Woong-tae (Gangwon State Council), Lee Jong-hyun (Daejeon Metropolitan City Council), and Seo Chang-wan (South Jeolla Provincial Office) captured their second consecutive team title in the men's event.
Led by Seong Seung-min, the women's team won a silver medal in the team event, while Jeon Woong-tae and Lee Jong-hyun claimed the silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the men's individual event.
After finishing the competition, national team Head Coach Kim Sung-jin told Yonhap News, "We expected at least two gold medals and it is slightly regrettable that we didn't pick up one more, but the athletes did very well despite facing numerous injuries and going through a lot of hardships over the two years since the introduction of the obstacle discipline."
He continued, "For both the men's and women's divisions, the obstacle discipline was designated as the key factor. As expected, China was strong in obstacles, but our team showed great form in the laser run (running plus shooting), so overall I am glad we finished the competition on a high note."
This Asian Games marked the first time the modern pentathlon was held after riding was replaced by the obstacle discipline, which involves quickly clearing various obstacles, and the tournament was a two-way race between South Korea and China throughout.
The dominance was so clear-cut and competition so fierce that aside from South Korea and China, only Japan and Kazakhstan managed to secure a single bronze medal each.
Coach Kim stated, "In China, only about one athlete in both the men's and women's divisions had experience in riding, while the rest are in their early twenties and represent a generation that has primarily experienced obstacles, giving them strong skills. Given the gap we had to bridge, our performance was truly commendable."
In particular, Jeon Woong-tae, who was aiming for his third consecutive individual Asian Games title and his second straight double crown, pulled off an unexpected individual silver medal and led the team to victory with an explosive sprint in the laser run, creating a sensation.
Jeon Woong-tae, South Korea's first-ever Olympic medalist in the modern pentathlon (bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics), had struggled somewhat while adapting to the obstacle era.
Praising Jeon, Coach Kim said, "Jeon rejoined the national team last year after taking a break, and initially there was a significant gap in skill compared to the younger athletes, but he certainly proved he is a natural. He adapted to the obstacle discipline very quickly." He added, "It must have been a huge physical and mental stress for him, but he kept his composure and didn't give up, which seems to have led to these good results."
He encouraged him by saying, "Personally, I thought this year might be Jeon's last, but he says he's going all the way to LA. He must have gained confidence from this tournament, and he is fully capable of doing it."
Regarding Seo Chang-wan, who was considered a favorite to win the men's individual gold but failed to maintain his lead due to hyperventilation during the laser run, Kim expressed expectations, saying, "Although he finished this tournament with some difficulty, he has had such a fantastic season. He is maintaining his skills without injuries, so his outlook remains bright."
Having verified their capabilities at this Asian Games, the national team's sights are now firmly set on the 2028 LA Olympics.
Following Jeon Woong-tae in Tokyo in 2021 and Seong Seung-min in Paris in 2024, South Korean modern pentathlon is now eyeing a podium finish for the third consecutive Olympic Games.
Coach Kim stated, "If we prepare step by step, I expect we can achieve good results in LA as well."
He emphasized, "Both the men's and women's obstacle performances need to improve further. Additional technical reinforcement is also required in fencing, and specialized coaches for the obstacle discipline are absolute necessities."
The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) is reportedly considering changes to the sequence of events—currently fencing, obstacle, swimming, and laser run—as well as adjustments to the obstacle course distance and number of elements.
Coach Kim stressed, "Times are changing and we must keep pace, rather than just highlighting the fact that modern pentathlon was created by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Olympics. As the sport is likely to keep evolving to remain an Olympic event, we need to adapt quickly to those changes."
Coach Kim added, "China dispatches eight male and female athletes to World Cups, giving opportunities even to teenagers in their mid-to-late teens. They also send teams of 50 staff members to a single competition with well-established task delegation, which is somewhat enviable. We will need to respond effectively to that."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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