(Asiad) Pentathlete Seong Seung-min refuses to rest on her laurels
ANJO, Japan, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean pentathlete Seong Seung-min has been writing history in the sport in recent years.
After winning the gold medal in women's individual modern pentathlon at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Sunday, she became the first South Korean female pentathlete to win the individual event, ending China's streak of four consecutive gold medals.
South Korea's Seong Seung-min celebrates her gold-medal victory during a medal ceremony after the final of the women's modern pentathlon at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Anjo Sports Park in Anjo, just southeast of the main host city of Nagoya, on Sept. 20, 2026. (Yonhap)
It was not her first historic achievement.
She won the 2024 World Modern Pentathlon Championships to become the first South Korean woman to win a world title in the event.
At the Paris Summer Olympics later that year, she became the first Asian female pentathlete to win an Olympic medal.
"I am so happy to earn the first title at the Olympics and here again," Seong told reporters after the final.
She finished first with an overall 1,492 points in the sport's final after competing in five events -- fencing, swimming, obstacle course racing and laser run, a combination of running and shooting -- at Anjo Sports Park in Anjo, just southeast of the main host city of Nagoya, Japan.
It has been two years since the Paris Olympics, and I think nearly everything is the same today," she said. "If I find just one thing different, it is that time has given me composure, helping me enjoy the atmosphere at the venue."
South Korea's Seong Seung-min celebrates her victory after crossing the finish line first during the final of the women's modern pentathlon at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Anjo Sports Park in Anjo, just southeast of the main host city of Nagoya, on Sept. 20, 2026. (Yonhap)
Seong's all-around performance in the final stood out as she remained at the top of the leaderboard from fencing, obstacle course racing and swimming to the laser run, posting strong scores in each event.
She took the top position after the first fencing round with 250 points, paving the way for her to maintain the lead until the end.
She finished fourth in the obstacle racing but earned 358 points, only five points behind Fu Jing of China, who topped the event.
She did not finish first in either the 100-meter freestyle or the laser run, but earned 295 and 589 points, respectively, enough to stay atop the overall standings.
Seong said she is still adjusting to the sport after obstacle course racing recently replaced horse riding in modern pentathlon and is working to make the new event one of her strengths.
"I am still afraid of the new event, so I am trying to form my own technique and my own racing through training," she said. "I will never rest on my laurels but try to do my best every time."
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.