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Russia returned to the top of the podium Saturday in the men's modern pentathlon, as Alexander Lesun took gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Lesun beat out Ukraine's Pavlo Tymoshchenko by just seven points for gold, while Ismael Marcelo Hernandez Uscanga of Mexico held off both France's Valentin Prades and Italy's Riccardo De Luca by a single point to secure bronze.
Here is a look at the top three finishers and how their point totals broke down across swimming, fencing, horse riding, running and shooting:
| Place | Athlete | Country | Total | Swimming | Fencing | Riding | Running/Shooting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Alexander Lesun | Russia | 1,479 | 324 | 268 | 279 | 608 |
| Silver | Pavlo Tymoshchenko | Ukraine | 1,472 | 324 | 227 | 286 | 635 |
| Bronze | Ismael Marcelo Hernandez Uscanga | Mexico | 1,468 | 334 | 208 | 300 | 626 |
Final standings for all 36 participants are available at Rio2016.com.
Lesun finished a heartbreaking fourth in modern pentathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics, but he made up for it in a big way in 2016.
After winning the men's modern pentathlon at three consecutive Summer Games, Russia's streak was broken four years ago in London when David Svoboda of the Czech Republic turned in a golden performance.
Lesun had an opportunity to re-establish Russia's dominance, as he entered the running and shooting portion of the program with a lead over Great Britain's Joseph Choong.
While Choong faltered, Lesun posted a solid score of 608, which clinched the gold and helped him achieve an Olympic record.
Lesun fell short of his own world record set in 2014, but he did just enough to hold off the hard-charging Tymoshchenko.
Despite falling short of gold, Tymoshchenko's silver was the first Olympic medal for Ukraine in men's pentathlon, while Hernandez Uscanga's bronze was the first Olympic medal for Mexico in the event.
Choong could have pulled off a similar feat for Great Britain since no British man had ever won an individual Olympic medal in modern pentathlon, but as Sam Munnery of the Times pointed out, things went awry for him during shooting:
Gold was within reach for Choong ahead of the final event, but he was forced to settle for 10th place, as his score of 589 in running and shooting was among the worst in the field.
Australia's Max Esposito finished in seventh, just six points off the podium one day after his sister, Chloe Esposito, won gold in the women's modern pentathlon.
Per Iain Payten of News Corp Australia, Max figures to be a gold-medal threat in four years if history repeats itself:
The United States still hasn't won an individual medal in men's pentathlon since Robert Beck took bronze at the 1960 Rome Olympics, but Nathan Schrimsher acquitted himself well in finishing 11th.
Schrimsher is just 24 years of age, so he could be a factor at the 2020 Tokyo Games alongside Esposito as well.
Lesun is the king of the modern pentathlon, though, and the 12-time world championship medalist cemented that fact Saturday with the first Olympic medal of his decorated career.
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