Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Modern Pentathlon line-up revealed

• New world champions Seong (KOR) and Bohm (HUN) lead glittering array of talent
• Tokyo 2020 medallists French and Choong (GBR), Asadauskaite (LTU), Elgendy (EGY) and Jun (KOR) return
• President Schormann promises pentathletes a ‘special experience’

The 72 athletes who will compete in Modern Pentathlon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been named by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).

The identity of the 36 female and 36 male* qualifiers was revealed in a short video published on UIPM’s social media channels, kickstarting a one-month countdown to the Olympic Modern Pentathlon that will provide a fitting climax for the Games at the Palace of Versailles from August 8-11.

A glittering array of talent awaits spectators at the specially arranged Pentathlon Stadium in Paris (FRA) next month.

The 40-year-old Laura Asadauskaite of Lithuania, gold medallist at London 2012 and silver medallist at Tokyo 2020, is poised to become the first woman and only the second pentathlete after Peter Macken of Australia to line up for five Olympic Games, having been selected alongside UIPM 2024 Pentathlon World Cup Final winner Gintare Venckauskaite (LTU).

At the other end of the age scale, 21-year-old Seungmin Seong of Korea will make her Olympic debut as the reigning world champion, while there are three teenage women in the field representing the next generation – Malak Ismail of Egypt, Lucie Hlavackova of Czechia and 16-year-old Sol Naranjo of Ecuador.

Carrying the hopes of the home nation will be Rio 2016 silver medallist Elodie Clouvel and 2018 European champion Marie Oteiza of France, while two-time world champion Elena Micheli lines up beside 2023 European Games winner Alice Sotero in a formidable Italy team. Tokyo 2020 champion Kate French of Great Britain returns for her third Games alongside debutante Kerenza Bryson.

On the men’s side, Csaba Bohm of Hungary will enter the Games as the undoubted favourite after winning gold at both the UIPM 2024 Pentathlon World Cup Final and World Championships, setting a new world record on each occasion. World silver medallist Balazs Szep (HUN) provides the strongest possible support and challenge to his team-mate.

The challenge from outside Europe is sure to be fierce again, following the Olympic medals won three years ago by Ahmed Elgendy (EGY, silver) and Woongtae Jun (KOR, bronze). Both return for another shot at glory alongside two of the breakthrough athletes of this cycle, Mohanad Shaban (EGY) and Changwan Seo (KOR).

He may not have enjoyed peak form this season, but many eyes will be on the reigning Olympic champion Joseph Choong (GBR), while the host nation’s hopes rest on three-time Pentathlon World Cup Final winner Valentin Prades (FRA) and 2019 junior world champion Jean-Baptiste Mourcia (FRA).  

The action will begin with the Fencing Ranking Round at the North Paris Arena on August 8, followed by the Men’s Semi-finals on August 9 in Versailles, where the Women’s Semi-finals and Men’s Final follow on August 10 with the Women’s Final bringing a close to proceedings on August 11.

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann said: “As we look forward to the centenary Olympic Games Paris 2024, in the birthplace of our founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin, we can be very proud of all athletes who gave everything in pursuit of a place in this historic Modern Pentathlon competition.

“I can guarantee that the 36 female and 36 male pentathletes who have been selected by their National Olympic Committees to represent their countries will have a special experience at the Palace of Versailles – and so will the spectators and viewers and sponsors watching them from the tribunes, on television and online.

“After the unusual experience of Tokyo 2020 where spectators were sadly prevented from taking their seats in an incredible venue, a sold-out Pentathlon Stadium in Paris promises to provide a captivating experience that underlines the unique appeal of our sport based on the evolution of the format that already took place in the past three decades.

“I congratulate not only the 72 athletes whose names we list today but also the coaches and support staff and National Federation administrators, without whom it would not have been possible for them to attend competitions and perform at the highest level in order to qualify. I wish all of you the very best of luck for an unforgettable Olympic Modern Pentathlon in Paris.”

* On July 20, the British Olympic Association announced that Myles Pillage had been withdrawn from the Great Britain team for Paris 2024 on medical grounds, replaced by Charles Brown.