European Games 2023: Alice Sotero and Giorgio Malan claim double gold for Italy as 16 athletes clinch modern pentathlon quotas for Paris 2024
Sotero secured a second Olympic spot for Italy with women's gold before Malan beat Olympic champion Joe Choong for the biggest win of his career in Krakow.
Modern Pentathlon
Italy dominated the 2023 European Games modern pentathlon individual finals on Saturday (1 July).
Alice Sotero won the women's title before Giorgio Malan produced an inspired laser run to take the men's version in Krakow.
Sotero, who gave birth to her first child last June having just missed out on the medals at Tokyo 2020, was first across the line in the laser run ahead of Laura Heredia who will become Spain's first female modern pentathlon Olympian. Olivia Green of Great Britain took the bronze.
The 32-year-old said afterwards, "It is so exciting to have qualified here, in front of my daughter and my family. Now I will enjoy the podium and then think about preparing for Paris!
"It was difficult to finish fourth in Tokyo and get back on track after the pregnancy, but I wanted Paris with all my heart and now I will fight to redeem myself."
Eight National Olympic Committees (NOCs) were represented in the 18-strong final with Elena Micheli having previously secured an Olympic quota place for Italy via her victory at last month's UIPM World Cup Final in Ankara, Türkiye.
That meant Sotero clinched a second quota spot for Italy merely by making the final alongside her teammate, with Heredia also doing so as her country's sole finalists.
Czechia's Lucie Hlavackova should have followed suit but her failure to score any points in riding means her quota place is dependent on, according to UIPM, her "completing at least one horse riding round before the end of the Qualification period".
Heredia, Hungary's Luca Barta and Rebecca Castaudi of France were the only three athletes to post clear rounds in the last riding (show jumping) competition in a European Games modern pentathlon.
Sotero moved into the lead with the best performance in the fencing bonus round, and she extended her advantage with the quickest time in the 200m freestyle swim.
That gave her a sizable time gap going into the closing laser run, and she crossed the line first to take her first individual medal in continental or global competition.
Heredia was second, just ahead of Green who was part of Britain's gold medal team at last year's World Championships in Egypt.
Laura Asadauskaite, the London 2012 champion and Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, produced the best laser run to finish fourth and secure Lithuania a quota spot at the age of 39.
Giorgio Malan charges to men's title
The men's final was a tight affair with Poland's Lukasz Gutkowski and Marvin Faly Dogue of Germany the only two riders to record clear rounds.
Both men remained in podium position following the fencing bonus round where France's Valentin Prades achieved the highest score to take a narrow overall lead.
Britain's Olympic champion Joe Choong moved up a place to fifth in the fencing. And he was up to third after the 200m freestyle swim with Dogue and Prades in the joint lead.
Choong's countryman Myles Pillage was fourth after clocking the quickest swim, and there were just nine points - equivalent to nine seconds - separating the top eight competitors going into the 3km laser run with four shooting series.
Dogue took an early lead but Malan, fifth after the swim, moved to the front before the second round of shooting and hit his targets quickly to go clear with Choong, Prades and Pillage together some 10 seconds back.
The lead group needed Malan to falter on his final shooting series, but the youngster kept his cool and hit all his targets before his rivals had even reached the range.
The 23-year-old successfully completed a double for Italy with Choong producing a strong sprint finish to deny Hungary's Csaba Bohm the silver.
“It's a dream for me," explained Malan. “A few years ago, I only wanted to compete at the Olympics and, now, it's the moment to do a good race and dream to be in front."
Pillage, who had been second after the final round of shooting, dropped back to fourth place with Choong securing the Olympic spot for Britain.
“From the experience of my last two Games, qualifying the year before allows me to be focus on which competition you want to participate in without the pressure of getting the points," said Choong.
With his partner Green winning bronze earlier in the day, it was a good day for the couple with Choong saying, "It was such a nice feeling because I was more nervous for her than I've been for myself. Such a nice moment!”
With nine NOCs represented in the men's final, it was Alexandre Dallenbach who secured the last Paris 2024 quota spot for Switzerland by taking 13th place with Czech athlete Marek Grycz missing out in 15th.
Results from the Women's Individual Modern Pentathlon at the 2023 European Games:
- Alice Sotero (ITA) 1443 points *
- Laura Heredia (ESP) 1429 *
- Olivia Green (GBR) 1428 *
- Laura Asadauskaite (LTU) 1420 *
- Marie Oteiza (FRA) 1419 *
- Kerenza Bryson (GBR) 1417
- Michelle Gulyas (HUN) 1415 *
- Annika Zillekens (GER) 1413 *
- Gintare Venckauskaite (LTU) 1411
- Rebecca Langrehr (GER) 1405
- Elena Micheli (ITA) 1402
- Janine Kohlmann (GER) 1398
- Luca Barta (HUN) 1382
- Blanka Guzi (HUN) 1373
- Ieva Serapinaite (LTU) 1371
- Rebecca Castaudi (FRA) 1359
- Emma Whitaker (GBR) 1323
- Lucie Hlavackova (CZE) 1092 **
* - secured quota place for NOC at Olympic Games Paris 2024
** - secured quota place for NOC at Olympic Games Paris 2024 subject to completing a riding round before the end of the Qualification period
Results from the Men's Individual Modern Pentathlon at the 2023 European Games:
- Giorgio Malan (ITA) 1534 points *
- Joe Choong (GBR) 1531 *
- Csaba Bohm (HUN) 1530 *
- Myles Pillage (GBR) 1524
- Valentin Prades (FRA) 1516 *
- Marvin Faly Dogue (GER) 1515 *
- Valentin Belaud (FRA) 1514
- Lukasz Gutkowski (POL) 1507 *
- Christopher Patte (FRA) 1499
- Patrick Dogue (GER) 1495
- Charles Brown (GBR) 1493
- Oleksandr Tovkai (UKR) 1491 *
- Alexandre Dallenbach (SUI) 1486 *
- Ugo Fleurot (FRA) 1482
- Marek Grycz (CZE) 1473
- Roberto Micheli (ITA) 1472
- Balazs Szep (HUN) 1455
- Matteo Cicinelli (ITA) 1399
* - secured quota place for NOC at Olympic Games Paris 2024