Marcos Rojas
Santiago de Chile, October 23 (RHC) - Cuba's Marcos Rojas finished in a meritorious fourth place in the men's individual event in the modern pentathlon at the XIX Pan American Games Santiago 2023 and won a place for Paris-2024.
The 23-year-old native of Las Tunas, who made his debut in continental competitions, accumulated 1481 points, only 6 points behind the bronze medalist, Ecuador's Andres Torres.
Mexicans Emiliano Hernandez and Duilio Carrillo did the 1-2, with 1534 and 1513 points, respectively, in a modality that gave places for next year's Parisian event.
"I am very happy. It is a result that I expected, but I had to prove it in the competition. There are still details to be polished mainly in the equitation and laser-run, but for the moment we are very satisfied especially with the Olympic quota and on the 27th in the relay together with Lester Ders we are going for a medal", Marcos told the Cuban radio.
For his part, national commissioner Frank Martinez praised Marcos' great work in a very difficult sport, which includes five disciplines (swimming, fencing, horseback riding, running and shooting).
"It is an extraordinary result that we had not contemplated. Our motivation is very high. Marcos had a great competition, with an excellent fencing and then he dominated the horses, which is like the wild card of the pentathlon", added the director.
He considered that we are in the presence of a young man with "future projection", with whom they are designing a work for 2024 that could bear fruit.
The federative praised the value of the pentathlete and recalled that a 22-day preparation base in France was like a plus that "allowed us this result".
Rojas had a great swimming and fencing, with scores of 298 and 258 units, which kept him between the first and second places, then he dropped a little to finish tenth in the equitation (283) and finished with a fourth place in the laser-run or combined (642).
The young value of the Cuban pentathlon started in this sport in 2015 and achieved several medals in the junior categories and bronze in the youth Pan American in Cali-2021.
