Švecovs won 23 of his 35 bouts and lost 12 times, to total 240 points.
The men's competition will last three days, with the pentathletes collecting points in the heats on Thursday followed by the semi-finals at the Palace of Versailles on Friday and the final on Saturday. For the first time at the Olympic Games, the Paris Games have introduced semi-finals, where 18 athletes will compete in two groups of equal strength, with the top nine securing a place in the final.
For modern pentathlon, which has entered a period of constant change, the Paris Olympics mark yet another turning point, after which the sport will undergo a major overhaul.
