Fuyang, China, September 24, 2023: Zhang Mingyu captured the Asian Games gold medal for the second consecutive time in the women’s individual Modern Pentathlon on Sunday at Fuyang Sports Centre in warm conditions.
Korea’s Kim Sunwoo claimed the silver medal, while China’s Bian Yufei took home the bronze in the competition that comprises fencing, swimming, horse riding, running and shooting.
Zhang, who also took the gold at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, was victorious with 1,406 points. Kim notched 1,386 and Bian 1,374.
The 21-year-old Zhang, who was third going into the final event, displayed her skills as an all-around athlete with a balanced performance, which included scoring a maximum 300 points in riding, then finished strongly in the laser-run to earn the gold.
The performances of Zhang and Bian helped China take the gold in the team event with a total of 4,094 points. Japan grabbed the silver at 3,705, while Korea settled for the bronze on 3,574.
“I am grateful to my coaching team for helping me deal with the pressure,” Zhang stated. “Although the coaching team here is not who I originally worked with, I have learned to cope with this and so we are able to communicate openly and contribute towards the team’s success.”
The top five finishers in the women’s and men’s individual events qualify for the Paris Games. Joining Zhang, Kim and Bian in France will be fourth-place finisher Misaki Uchida of Japan (1,354) and Kazakhstan’s Yelena Potapenko (1,340), who came in fifth.
Jun claims men’s individual gold again, leads Korea to team gold
Korea’s Jun Woongtae defended his title in the men’s individual competition, making both women’s and men’s winners repeat champions from 2018. The 28-year-old Jun's winning total was 1,508 points.
Jun’s compatriot Lee Jihun garnered the silver medal with 1,492, while China’s Li Shuhuan rounded out the podium with the bronze on 1,484.
Korea’s Jung Jihnwa (1,477) was fourth and China’s Zhang Linbin (1,473) fifth. Both qualified for the Paris Olympics, along with the three medalists.
Jun, a native of Seoul, scored well in swimming, riding and laser-run on the way to victory.
“We have two medalists here and I think this is something good,” Jun stated. “It is a very great honor for me to win for the second time. It is a pathway for us leading to the Paris 2024 Olympics. The Asian Games in Hangzhou are very prestigious and we are pleased with our results.”
Jun and Lee sparked Korea to the team gold with a total of 4,477 points. China picked up the silver at 4,397, while Japan got the bronze on 4,250.