Jun Woong-tae scoops 2 golds in men's modern pentathlon
Korea's Jun Woong-tae celebrates his victory in the men's individual modern pentathlon at Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre in Hangzhou, China, during the 19th Asian Games, Sept. 24. Yonhap
Jun Woong-tae captured gold in the men's individual modern pentathlon and also led South Korea's team gold at the 19th Asian Games on Sunday.
After fencing, swimming, show jumping and laser run, a combination of running and shooting, Jun finished first with an overall score of 1,508. His compatriot, Lee Ji-hun, came in second with 1,492 points.
The bronze medal went to China's Li Shuhuan, who took 1,484 points in the five-event competition.
Jun also defended his Asian Games title after the 2018 Jakarta competition, where he also outpaced Lee by 13 points.
Led by Jun's gold medal performance, South Korea, a group of Jun, Lee and Jung Jin-hwa, also won the team event with 4,477 points in total, outnumbering China with 4,397 and Japan with 4,250.
In the team event, scores of the top three athletes from a country are combined to determine the rankings.
Jun became the first double gold medalist in the South Korean delegation at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
"I'm so delighted to become the first double gold medalist in the South Korean delegation," he told reporters in a mixed-zone interview. "I'm so grateful and honored that I could show a good performance at this great venue in front of great spectators."
Jun Woong-tae holds two of his gold medals on the podium during the medal ceremony for the men's individual modern pentathlon at Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre in Hangzhou, China, during the 19th Asian Games, Sept. 24. Yonhap
As a defending Asian Games champ, Jun was considered a strong gold medal contender for the men's modern pentathlon, a sport that involves five different events: fencing, swimming, equestrian and laser run.
The 28-year-old finished third in Tokyo, becoming the first South Korean athlete to win an Olympic medal in modern pentathlon.
At Hangzhou, Jun presented a slow start, taking the seventh position and receiving 233 points after fencing, which was held in advance. He struggled with riding, as he got 293 points, failing to raise the ranking.
But in swimming, the swimmer-turned-pentathlete made a dramatic comeback. He finished first to score 312 points with 1:59.28. He is the only athlete who finished in under two minutes.
Rising to the second spot, Jun added 670 points in the final laser run, advancing to the highest position on the leaderboard.
South Korea's silver medalist, Lee, who remained at the top until riding, suffered a concussion after falling from his horse during a practice session, according to sports officials.
Veteran pentathlete Jung Jin-hwa, 34, said he will retire from the national team after the Hangzhou Asian Games. He won silver and bronze in men's individual and team modern pentathlon, respectively, in the 2014 Asian Games, while competing in three Olympics from 2012.
"I'm happy to wrap up my national team career with the team gold," he said. "Now, I want to move back and let younger athletes compete on the world stage.
"With their latest performance, South Korea wrapped up their modern pentathlon campaign at the Hangzhou Asian Games with two gold medals, two silver and one bronze, the best among the participating nations. (Yonhap)