UIPM 2022 Biathle-Triathle World Championships: All you need to know

• Almost 650 athletes from 31 countries gather in Machico (POR)
• Island venue to be a hive of competition and community for all ages 
• Pentathlon stars Arceo (MEX) and Serapinaite (LTU) among athletes to watch

The global UIPM Sports community has descended on the 'Atlantic Pearl’ of Madeira as almost 650 athletes from 31 countries prepare to compete in the highly anticipated UIPM 2022 Biathle-Triathle World Championships. 

Representing four continents, the 647 hopefuls spanning age categories Under 9 to Masters 60+ will turn the Atlantic coastal city of Machico into a hive of community camaraderie and sporting endeavour from October 27-30. 

Machico (POR), with its golden sands and beautiful bay, hosted a Biathle-Triathle National Tour earlier this summer with over 200 incoming competitors from countries such as Great Britain, Germany, Romania and South Africa. The city won the right to host this year’s World Championships after previously playing host to a very successful European Biathle-Triathle Championships followed quickly by a Global Laser Run City Tour.

After four intensive days of competing for medals in the UIPM 2022 Biathle-Triathle World Championships, there will be another opportunity for athletes to test their skills in a Global Laser Run City Tour on Monday, October 31. 

Machico (POR) follows Weiden (GER), which hosted the UIPM 2021 Biathle-Triathle World Championships as the popular competition returned after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Ones to watch

While there will undoubtedly be a carnival atmosphere all week, there will be a keen competitive edge with gold, silver and bronze on the line for all age categories. The competition will be graced by some leading pentathletes, particularly senior women. 

Ieva Serapinaite of Lithuania, currently ranked world No.6, will be hunting major honours but will have plenty of work to do with Tokyo 2020 Olympian Mariana Arceo of Mexico among the challengers. Arceo (MEX) is a Pan American Games gold medallist who has won Relay gold and silver at the UIPM Pentathlon World Championships over the past three years. 

In the senior men’s competition Alexandre Dallenbach of Switzerland will be among the main contenders. Dallenbach (SUI) has major championships pedigree having taken silver at the UIPM 2017 Laser Run World Championships in Cape Town (RSA).  

Biathle-Triathle background

Biathle and Triathle are cornerstones of the UIPM development programme and have proved a huge success both as an entry point to UIPM sports and as a training vessel for the running, swimming and shooting parts of Pentathlon in real race conditions.

The sequence of Biathle is run-swim-run, while athletes in Triathle compete in a swim-run- shoot format. It made its debut on international stage at the UIPM Biathle-Triathle World Championships 2013 in Cyprus. The UIPM Biathle-Triathle National Tour is now organised in all regions of the world. 

This past summer alone, countries lined up to host Biathle-Triathle National Tours included Armenia, Burkina Faso, Egypt, France, Georgia and Ivory Coast, along with first-time hosts Croatia, Greece, Moldova and Thailand.

UIPM and partner comments

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann said: “We can all look forward to a wonderful week on the beautiful island of Madeira where we will again see the very best of UIPM Sports. Biathle and Triathle have been hugely successful as individual sports and as part of the development pyramid of Modern Pentathlon.

“Athletes are coming from across all generations to test themselves against their peers from around the world. I am sure there will be a wonderful atmosphere in Machico and I thank the Portuguese Modern Pentathlon Federation (FPPM) for all of their work in preparing for this week, especially so soon after the successful UIPM 2022 Laser Run World Championships in Lisbon (POR). I wish the very best of luck to all competitors.”

UIPM Executive Board Member for Media, Andrejus Zadneprovskis OLY, said: “The UIPM 2022 Biathle-Triathle World Championships will mark another great step forward for the presentation of our sports. 

“Last year the UIPM 2021 Biathle-Triathle World Championships was streamed live for the first time for the benefit of fans, friends and family around the world. Another broadcasting highlight was the first-ever live stream of the UIPM Laser Run World Championships in Portugal recently. This gives fans the chance to follow their favourite athletes competing in all UIPM Sports.”

FPPM President Dr Joao Pereira de Almeida added: “It is with great pleasure that the Portuguese Modern Pentathlon Federation is organising the UIPM 2022 Biathle-Triathle World Championships.

“We would like to thank the tourism authorities of Madeira and the Municipality of Machico for all the support they give to us. Madeira is the Pearl in the Atlantic – a fantastic place for tourism, for training, for competing.

“I hope that we have very good results in these Championships and we would like to thank UIPM for the opportunity given to us to organise this competition.”

Watch and follow

The UIPM 2022 Biathle-Triathle Championships will be streamed live on UIPM.TV with results available at the UIPM website and via the UIPM Central app. Live coverage is available to UIPMTV subscribers with annual packages costing €14.99.

Follow World Pentathlon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram throughout the Pentathlon World Cup for additional content, and visit the UIPM website or download the “UIPM Central” app to keep track of results.

Competition schedule 

UIPM 2022 Biathle-Triathle World Championships

October 27: Biathle Mixed Relay

October 28: Triathle Mixed Relay

October 29: Triathle Individual

October 30: Biathle Individual