[National Sports Festival] Seo Chang-wan decorated in gold at the end of 2026, “The most memorable year”

(Jeju = Yonhap News) Reporter Choi Song-ah = Modern pentathlon national team member Seo Chang-wan (Jeonnam Provincial Office), who swept the individual and team competitions in the last competition in 2026, said that it was the most memorable year in his athlete career and looked forward to next season where he will take a bigger leap forward.

Seo Chang-wan won the 107th National Sports Festival Modern Pentathlon Men's General Division 5 individual event held at Aewol Neighborhood Park in Jeju on the 17th with a total of 1,586 points in fencing, swimming, obstacle race, and laser run (track and field + shooting), and also won two gold medals in the team event with Kim Young-ha, who took second place in the individual event.

In the individual competition, he succeeded in regaining the top spot for the first time in three years since 2023.

Seo Chang-wan, who met with Yonhap News after the game, said, "I am very happy that I finished the last competition of the year well. I had a slight injury before the games, but the manager and coach were very understanding, and I was able to prepare well thanks to treatment and conditioning."

Seo Chang-wan prepared for this tournament after contributing to Korea's men's team gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held about a month ago.

He was considered a strong candidate to win the individual event at the Asian Games. He took the lead in the last event, the laser run, but finished in 5th place due to poor condition, including hyperventilation at the end.

Looking back on the Asian Games, he said, "In my entire career, this was the first time I was in a situation where I couldn't overcome it even with my mental strength. I couldn't breathe well and my vision was blurred, which hindered me from shooting," and added, "Having experienced this, I think I can avoid situations like this when preparing for the next big tournament."

Regarding the game on this day, he said, "I have been exercising after resting for about two weeks after the Asian Games. Although my physical condition is not 100%, I finished well in the technical event. The score for fencing (1st place overall) was large, so I tried to focus on one point at a time, and the obstacle (2nd place overall) was resolved well, so I was able to advance in the laser run with a large gap from 2nd place, so I was able to shoot comfortably."

For Seo Chang-wan, 2026 was a season that solidified his position as the star of the Korean modern pentathlon men's division.

He won the individual event at the World Cup held in Bulgaria in May of this year, and won the individual event (bronze medal) at the World Championships in August for the first time, showing the most notable achievements among Korean male athletes entering the 'obstacle era'.

Seo Chang-wan said, “Until last year, I made a lot of mistakes during obstacle races, but I think I reduced my mistakes by paying careful preparation during winter training, which led to good results.”

He continued, "A lot has happened this year, and I think it will be the most memorable year I've ever had while working out. I didn't even know I could do this well, but I continued to do it and persevered, so I was able to have a year like this."

He emphasized, “If I keep doing well like I am now, I think I will be able to achieve good results at the LA Olympics as well,” adding, “I’ve been doing a lot of obstacle races recently, so my muscles have changed a bit and my stamina seems to have dropped a bit, so I’ll pay attention to those aspects and prepare well for the next time.”