Modern Pentathletes Jun Woong-tae and Seo Chang-wan Advance to Finals... Aiming for Double Gold

South Korean men's modern pentathlon leading figures Jun Woong-tae (Gangwon State Council) and Seo Chang-wan (Jeonnam Provincial Government) have secured their spots in the final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Competing in the men's semifinals at the Anjo Sports Park in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, today (September 18), Jun accumulated a total of 1,529 points across fencing, swimming, obstacle racing, and laser run (running and shooting), finishing 3rd in Group B to advance to the final.

A total of 36 athletes participated in the men's modern pentathlon at this tournament, competing in two semifinal groups today, with the top 9 athletes from each group—totaling 18—advancing to the final.

Jun is aiming for his third consecutive gold medal in the men's individual event, following his victories at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games and the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held in 2023.

Having swept both the individual and team events to claim two gold medals at the Hangzhou Games, he is also targeting a second consecutive double crown.

Seo, who has been delivering strong performances on the international stage recently, including a bronze medal in the individual event at this year's World Championships, scored 1,547 points in Group A of the semifinals to secure 1st place and confirm his spot in the final.

Lee Jong-hyun (Daejeon Metropolitan City Hall) finished 2nd in Group A behind Seo with 1,533 points, while Kim Young-ha (Jeonnam Provincial Government) joined the final by placing 6th in Group B with 1,509 points.

Following the women's semifinals yesterday, where four athletes including Seong Seung-min (Korea National Sport University) advanced to the final, all eight male and female South Korean national representatives competing in this tournament have successfully reached the final stage.

The modern pentathlon at this competition features a total of four gold medals up for grabs across the men's and women's individual and team events.

The finals will take place on September 20, the day after the opening ceremony.

Team standings are determined by combining the scores of the top three individual performers from each country.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.