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(LEAD) (Olympics) Tokyo bronze medalist Jun Woong-tae 4th after fencing ranking round in modern pentathlon


The reigning bronze medalist Jun Woong-tae ranked fourth after the opening fencing event of the modern pentathlon at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.

Jeon went 22-13 in his 35 fencing matches in the men’s ranking round and earned 235 points to rank fourth out of 36 athletes at North Paris Arena in the French capital.

A win-loss record of 25-10 is worth 250 points. Athletes earn five points for each additional victory and lose five points for each additional defeat beyond the 10th.

Jun won bronze at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics to become the first South Korean pentathlete to reach an Olympic podium. He was in ninth place after the fencing ranking round then.

The men’s competition will continue Friday with the semifinals featuring swimming, riding show jumping, laser run, which combines running and shooting, and fencing’s bonus round, an elimination tournament featuring 30-second bouts, with athletes seeded by results of the ranking round. Medals will be awarded Saturday, with the finishing positions in the lase
r run determining medalists.

The one other South Korean in action, Seo Chang-wan, ranked 10th with a 20-15 record.

Ahmed Elgendy of Egypt, the 2021 silver medalist, and Oleksandr Tovkai of Ukraine each went 24-11 for 245 points.

The defending champion from Britain, Joseph Choong, ranked 29th after winning only 14 of his 35 matches.

In the women’s fencing ranking round held later in the day, Seong Seung-min, the reigning world champion, went 20-15 for 225 points to rank eighth, while her teammate Kim Sun-woo finished 11th at 19-16, good for 220 points.

Elodie Clouvel of France, the 2016 silver medalist, topped the ranking round with 260 points on a 27-8 record. The defending champion from Britain, Kate French, was third with 240 points after going 23-12.

The women’s semifinals will be Saturday, and their medals will be handed out Sunday, the final day of the Olympics.

Seong arrived in Paris as a medal contender after capturing her first career world title in June. The 21-year-old is No. 1 in the Interna
tional Modern Pentathlon Union’s world rankings.

Source: Yonhap News Agency