Aleksander Lesun

Aleksander Leonidovich Lesun (Russian: Александр Леонидович Лесун; born 1 July 1988) is a Belarusian-born naturalized Russian modern pentathlete.[1] He is a multiple-time medalist at the World and European Championships, and was a top-ranked male modern pentathlete in the world by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM).[2]

Aleksander Lesun
Personal information
Full nameAleksander Leonidovich Lesun
Nationality Belarus (until 2009)
 Russia (since 2009)
Born (1988-07-01) 1 July 1988
Barysaw, Belarus SSR, Soviet Union
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight75 kg (165 lb)
Sport
SportModern pentathlon
TeamDynamo
Coached byAlexei Khaplanov
Medal record
Men's modern pentathlon
Representing  Russia
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Individual
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Moscow Team
Gold medal – first place 2012 Rome Individual
Gold medal – first place 2014 Warsaw Individual
Gold medal – first place 2016 Moscow Mixed Relay
Silver medal – second place 2010 Chengdu Individual
Silver medal – second place 2011 Moscow Individual
Silver medal – second place 2012 Rome Team
Silver medal – second place2013 KaohsiungTeam
Silver medal – second place 2015 Berlin Individual
Silver medal – second place 2016 Moscow Individual
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Chengdu Relay
Bronze medal – third place2013 KaohsiungIndividual
Bronze medal – third place2013 KaohsiungRelay
Bronze medal – third place2019 BudapestRelay
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Medway Team
Gold medal – first place 2012 Sofia Team
Gold medal – first place 2014 Székesfehérvár Individual
Gold medal – first place 2016 Sofia Relay
Gold medal – first place 2017 Minsk Individual
Silver medal – second place2015 BathTeam
Silver medal – second place 2017 Minsk Team
Bronze medal – third place2013 DrzonkówIndividual

Career

Lesun started out his sporting career as a swimmer, before switching to modern pentathlon at the very young age. He first competed at the European and World Junior Championships in 2008, and had achieved five top-ten finishes. In late 2009, Lesun moved to Russia from Belarus, and obtained a dual citizenship and a Russian passport.[3]

Lesun returned to the international scene in early 2010, and was formally admitted to the national team. He competed at the World Championships in Chengdu, China, where he won two medals, one for the individual and one for the team relay. He also added his first ever gold medal at the 2010 World Cup in Budapest, Hungary.[4]

In 2012, Lesun emerged as Russia's best medal prospect, and a top favorite to win gold at his first Olympics. He had broken his streak of silver medal finishes in his 2011 breakthrough season and also beat the former world and defending Olympic champion Moiseev to win his first individual gold medal at the 2012 World Modern Pentathlon Championships in Rome, Italy.[5]

Following his triumph, Lesun qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, along with Moiseev, to compete in the men's event, which included a first-ever combined running and shooting segment.[3] During the competition, Lesun made a strong showing in the fencing segment, tying in second place with China's Cao Zhongrong for a score of twenty-five victories, but struggled to maintain his position in the entire event, with disappointing scores in freestyle swimming and horse riding. At the combined running and shooting discipline, Lesun progressed into the event in third place, until he was surpassed by Hungary's Ádám Marosi to win the bronze medal, dropping him out of the podium to a fourth-place finish, with a score of 5,764 points.[6]

In 2016, he won the gold medal at the Rio Olympics with a total of 1479 points, which was an Olympic record at the time.[7]

At the 2017 World Modern Pentathlon Championships in Cairo, Egypt, Lesun suffered a back injury in the fencing segment, leaving him without a medal in the individual competition.[8] However, he won bronze with his team.

He resigned from the Russian team following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, opting to return to Belarus.[9]

Awards

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Aleksander Lesun". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  2. "Asadauskaite and Lesun maintain the world #1 rankings". UIPM. Archived from the original on 23 August 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  3. "Aleksander Lesun". London2012.com. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Limited. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  4. "Федерация современного пятиборья России купила чемпиону мира Лесуну квартиру в Москве" (in Russian). tass.ru. January 19, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  5. "Aleksander Lesun rallies to win men's title at modern pentathlon World Championships". NBC Olympics. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  6. "Czech Svoboda wins men's modern pentathlon". Fox News. 11 August 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  7. "Rio 2016 - Men's Modern Pentathlon results". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
  8. "После снятия Лесуна пятиборцы РФ остались без медалей на чемпионате мира". championat.com.
  9. "The Olympic champion who turned his back on Putin". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  10. "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 25.08.2016 №429 «О награждении государственными наградами Российской Федерации»" (in Russian). publication.pravo.gov.ru. January 19, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
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