Sunday, November 5th, 2023.- One of the great moments of these Pan American Games was Mexico's outstanding performance in modern pentathlon, a competition in which they won 7 medals (5 gold, 2 silver). The dominance in this discipline had been in the hands of the United States (with 13 total golds) since Buenos Aires 1951, the first continental games in which this sport was contested.

The Mexican delegation triumphed in each of the five events in the Santiago 2023 program, including the male's relay, female's relay, mixed relay, as well as the male's and female's individual competitions.

In addition, they won silver medals in the individual events by having a Mexican competitor finish second behind the winner, who was also Mexican.

It's worth noting that modern pentathlon consists of five events: fencing (epee), swimming (200m freestyle), horseback riding (show jumping), and the laser-run (five circuits of a 600m run, each with a round of five laser pistol shots at an electronic target.)

The final event was the laser-run held at the Military School, where the pair composed of Emiliano Hernández and Duilio Carrillo emerged victorious. Carrillo acknowledged that they had a somewhat hesitant start since it was the last chance for Mexico to win a medal. He added, 'Now we will plan our strategy better to arrive in better shape for Paris 2024,' alluding to the fact that this event provided direct qualification spots for the next year's Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Mexico's success in modern pentathlon was no accident. It was complemented by achievements in diving, Basque pelota, racquetball, taekwondo, among other disciplines, allowing them to finish third in the medal standings with a total of 142 medals, including 52 gold, 38 silver, and 52 bronze.

Written by Erwin Acevedo; translated by Paulette Bertin / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Photo by Nicolás Ábalo / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport