Inner Mongolia athletes shine at 2024 Laser Run World Championships with 3 golds, 2 bronzes

Inner Mongolia athletes and coaches pose for a photo at the 2024 Laser Run World Championships. [Photo/Inner Mongolia Department of Sports]

The 2024 Modern Pentathlon World Championships and Paris Olympic Qualification Event, held alongside the 2024 Laser Run World Championships, concluded in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan province, on June 7. Representing China, athletes from North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region triumphed with an impressive haul of three gold medals and two bronze medals.

Organized by the International Modern Pentathlon Union, the event is the highest-level modern pentathlon event in the world and serves as a crucial qualifier for the Paris Olympics.

The championships attracted a remarkable gathering of talent, with 344 athletes from 42 countries and regions competing in the modern pentathlon events, and 599 athletes from 26 countries and regions participating in the laser run events, vying for medals across seven modern pentathlon and five laser run events.

In the Laser Run World Championships, Inner Mongolia's Liu Zhenfeng, Fan Daqian, and Sun Wanting represented China and delivered an outstanding performance over three days of fierce competition.

Liu Zhenfeng, Fan Daqian, and Luo Shuai from Shanghai joined forces to clinch the gold medal in the men's team event. Liu Zhenfeng, alongside national teammate Wu Xiyao, secured another gold in the mixed relay.

The women's team, comprising Inner Mongolia's Sun Wanting, Shanghai's Wu Xiyao, and Jiangsu's Ma Yujuan, also emerged victorious, claiming the gold medal.

Individually, Liu Zhenfeng earned a bronze medal in the men's laser run, while Sun Wanting secured a bronze in the women's laser run, both achieving the standards of international master athletes.

In addition to their success at the championships, Liu Zhenfeng and fellow Inner Mongolia athlete Liu Jiayi have been selected for the Chinese Youth Modern Pentathlon Team. They will travel to Egypt on June 20 to compete in the Modern Pentathlon World Youth Championships.