Countdown to 2014 World Cup Final Sarasota-Bradenton begins as line-up is revealed

After three successive top class World Cup Series events, UIPM is delighted to be able to announce the list of athletes that have qualified for the World Cup Final which will be held from 6-8 June in Sarasota-Bradenton, USA.

2014 World Cup Final Sarasota-Bradenton USA - Full list of qualified athletes

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36 men and 36 women from 23 nations have ensured their presence in the showpiece Final. Invitations for the Mixed Relay competition have also been sent out which could see athletes that have not qualified for the Individuals also take part.

The Egyptian capital Cairo, the state of the art facilities of the Pierre de Coubertin Modern Pentathlon stadium in Chengdu China, and the city of Kecskemet in central Hungary have all hosted exceptional competitions this season but there is great anticipation around the Sarasota-Bradenton bid, both on the organisational side and what is in store for athletes and fans alike.

The Sarasota-Bradenton World Cup Final organising committee, backed by Katherine Harris, former State Secretary for Florida, have worked extremely hard to bring the event to US shores and it is expected to be the start of an enduring relationships between UIPM, the world governing body of Modern Pentathlon, and the city.

The party will begin in style with the welcome dinner and opening ceremony set to take place at the Ringling Museum. The riding and combined events are expected to attract a huge number of spectators with these taking place at the world famous Sarasota Polo Grounds at Lakewood Ranch.

Modern Pentathlon makes its long-awaited return to North American shores and the athletes now will be fully focused on getting the best result possible in one of the world’s toughest one-day sporting competition.

The one-day format begins with epee fencing in a gruelling round robin format as each athletes goes head to head. After 35 bouts on the pistes, the competitors then move onto the pool for the 200m freestyle where the swimmers are seeded in heats according to their best time.

Afterwards, for the equestrian show jumping event these athletes become riders where there are 15 obstacles to manage. Points are accumulated throughout the first 3 disciplines which decides the start order in the final combined run/shoot event. This last discipline provides a climactic end to the day competition as the athletes run 4 laps of an 800m course interspersed with 4 rounds at the shooting range where athletes have 50 seconds to clear their targets 5 times.

It is fast and furious and the introduction of laser shooting, which has revolutionised the sport, allows spectators to be in the thick of the action. The gripping finale sees the winner of the combined crowned the winner of the World Cup Final.

In the Women’s draw, all eyes will be on Margaux Isaksen, America’s leading light in the sport. The World No.7 will be one of two home representatives. She has both the talent and temperament to really set the competition alight. Her character and personality are sure to have great appeal for the local crowd. It will be far from easy for her however as she will have to contend with, amongst many others, in-form Oktawia Nowacka from Poland, who has 2 silvers and a gold in her previous 3 World Cup Series appearances; World No1 and reigning World and Olympic Champion Laura Asadauskaite; and the impressive Chinese trio Wei Wang, Qian Chen and Xiaonan Zhang.

The onus in the Men’s will be with the Hungarians competition with Robert Kasza and World Cup #4 winner Adam Marosi so impressive last time out but with so much talent to choose from it will almost impossible to predict. Russia’s Ilia Frolov and Aleksander Lesun can mix it with the best whilst Christopher Patte and defending champion Valentin Prades of France always perform at the highest level. Italy’s 2012 European Champion Riccardo de Luca has been resurgent of late and his will lead a strong cast that also includes Chinese sensation Jinali Guo, Czech rising star Jan Kuf and World Champion Justinas Kinderis and all eager to claim one of the most coveted trophies in the sport.

It will be Modern Pentathlon of the highest order. One of the most historic and innovative of Olympic sports and 3 mouth-watering days of action in prospect.

2014 World Cup Final Sarasota-Bradenton USA - Full list of qualified athletes

Competition schedule:

• Friday 6 June: Women’s Final
• Saturday 7 June: Men’s Final
• Sunday 8 June: Mixed Relay

You can visit the competition website HERE