Egyptian Ahmed Elgendy has set an Olympic record in the men’s modern pentathlon, amassing 1,516 points to secure a place in the final.
In a remarkable display, he excelled in the Men’s Individual Laser Run semi-final A, setting both a total and Olympic record of 1516 points, thereby earning a spot in the Modern Pentathlon final.
The 24-year-old fought back from a show jumping nightmare to reach the final with an Olympic record score at the Paris Games on Friday as Britain’s reigning champion Joe Choong also qualified.
He surpassed the previous record of 1,482 points set by Britain’s Joseph Choong at the Tokyo Games in 2020.
Elgendy won silver in Tokyo three years ago but is is chasing his country’s first gold of the 2024 Olympics against the stunning backdrop of the 17th century Palace of Versailles.
He began the day with 245 points, finishing second in pool A. He later placed 17th in the riding show jumping semi-final with 267 points.
A strong performance in the swimming 200m freestyle semi-final A added 311 points, bringing his total to 823.
Elgendy then excelled in the laser run semi-final A, setting both a total and Olympic record of 1,516 points to qualify for the final.
Elgendy, an Olympic medalist, stands as a beacon of hope for Egypt’s medal prospects in Paris. He made history by securing Egypt’s first silver medal in Modern Pentathlon.
The finalists start with a clean slate on Sunday, except for the fencing ranking round scores which carry over to a bonus round.
