Paris: Ahmed Elgendy secured Egypt’s first gold medal of the Paris Olympics by winning the men’s Modern Pentathlon with a world record score of 1,555 points on Saturday at the Palace of Versailles. Despite a slow finish, Elgendy’s performance marked a historic achievement for African athletes in the sport.
Japan’s Taishu Sato claimed the silver medal, while Italy’s Giorgio Malan took bronze, showcasing representation from three continents on the podium. Elgendy’s victory was particularly significant as it was the first Olympic gold in Modern Pentathlon for an African athlete, following his silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, which was Egypt’s first medal in the sport.
Elgendy dominated from the beginning, leveraging his top fencing ranking with a flawless show jumping round—though his teammate Mohanad Shaban was eliminated due to a fall. His solid swimming performance and precision in laser shooting further solidified his lead.
“After the riding, I felt more confident, seeing the gold medal,” Elgendy told reporters. “Before the riding, I had some doubts because yesterday’s riding was not the best.”
Saturday’s event marked the final appearance of horses in the men’s Modern Pentathlon final, with the equestrian component set to be replaced by obstacle courses in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Elgendy, who plans to compete in Los Angeles, maintained a 13-point lead going into the fencing bonus round, which expanded to 17 points after the swimming segment. He started the laser run with a commanding lead, despite losing some time in shooting.
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“After the first shooting, I had to run very fast for the second lap to make up for it,” said the new champion, celebrating as he crossed the final turn of the track.
Britain’s reigning Olympic champion Joe Choong, who was fastest in the swimming section, finished ninth overall due to a poor performance in Thursday’s fencing ranking round. “I left it all out there. I needed some slip-ups from others, but they didn’t happen,” said Choong. “At the end of the day, I’ve still got that gold medal in my sock drawer at home.”
