Aleksandr Lesun has won gold in Rio in the men’s individual modern pentathlon.
This victory was four years in the making for the Russian pentathlete who was denied the podium in London.
He had been in third place overall but finished 25th in the combined run and shoot event that year. That was enough to be nudged out of third by Hungary’s Adam Marosi who took the bronze prize.
This time Lesun left little doubt.
He took the early lead on the first day of the pentathlon when he scored an Olympic record 268 points in the fencing ranking round. Despite finishing 22nd in the 200m freestyle, Lesun maintained his first place lead throughout the second day, determined to end on top.
With the luxury of no handicap start in the final event, Lesun took advantage. Great Britain’s Joseph Choong kept pace early but he quickly fell back and from the pack emerged Ukrainian Pavlo Tymoshchenko who took silver.
Tymoshchenko made it close in the end, he missed out on gold by 7 seconds, but the 28-year-old Lesun wouldn’t be denied his chance at the top spot.
This is Russia’s first medal in the pentathlon since 2008 when Andrei Moiseyev won his second consecutive gold medal.
Mexico’s Ismael Marcelo Hernandez Uscanga finished in third narrowly beating out Frenchman Valentin Prades for the final spot.
Defending gold medalist Dave Svoboda finished in ninth place and American Nathan Schrimsher finished just two spots behind him.