Egyptian champion Ahmed el-Gendy has taken a gold medal for the men’s individual modern pentathlon, in this year’s Summer Youth Olympic Games.
Gendy scored 1,179 points, and won the gold medal after occupying the first place after the end of swimming, shooting and laser run. Meanwhile, the Russian Egor Gromadskii won the silver medal with 1,159 points, and French Ugo Fleurot won the bronze medal with 1,144 points.
The 18 year-old’s prize is Egypt’s second gold medal so far, in the games being held in Buenos Aires between 6 and 18 October.
Last Saturday, Salma Ayman won gold for the women’s individual modern pentathlon, entering history as not just Egypt’s first gold winner of the sport, but the first Egyptian to receive any medal for the pentathlon.
The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport that comprises five different events: fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, and a final combined event of pistol shooting and cross-country running. This last event is now referred to as the laser-run, since it alternates four legs of laser pistol shooting followed by an 800 meter run.
The sport has been a core event of the Olympic Games since 1912, despite attempts to remove it. A world championship for modern pentathlon has been held annually since 1949.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm.
