UIPM 2022 Biathle-Triathle World Championships: Serapinaite (LTU) and Beisenbayev (KAZ) lead gold rush

MACHICO, PORTUGAL: October 31, 2022 – The island oasis of Madeira reverberated with competition and camaraderie as the UIPM 2022 Biathle-Triathle Laser Run World Championships came to a close on Sunday. 

For four days, the coastal city of Machico was a hive of athletic endeavour and community engagement as a record number of participants from all generations competed to be crowned the best in the world in Biathle and Triathle.

Almost 650 athletes representing 31 countries took to the streets, sands and Atlantic waters of Machico (POR) with some incredible performances from reigning champions and new talents emerging to top the podium. 

With fans tuning in to watch the action live on UIPM.TV, the UIPM 2022 Biathle-Triathle World Championships proved another major success for Portugal, a month after it hosted an equally memorable UIPM 2022 Laser Run World Championships in the capital city, Lisbon.

Biathle and the younger Triathle are now firmly established as cornerstones of the UIPM development programme. They have proved a huge success both as an entry point to UIPM sports and as a training vessel for the running, swimming and shooting elements 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.

All competition results from the UIPM 2022 Biathle-Triathle World Championships are listed on the UIPM website.

The action in Machico (POR) isn’t over yet, with a UIPM Global Laser Run City Tour rounding off a festival of sport today (October 31). 

Medallists’ reaction

Under 15 Girls Triathle champion Simone Van Der Merwe (RSA) said: “It feels amazing. It feels amazing to win the gold medal again. I wouldn’t have done it without God. I felt like I was in the better heat so I felt confident. I caught up nice.”

U15 Boys Triathle champion Aly Aboelfetouh (EGY) said: “It feels good to be back on the podium. It’s felt good to be back in Portugal this week. It’s been a very interesting competition with really good athletes. We all worked hard in a thrilling competition. I wouldn’t say I’m a superstar, I’m an athlete trying my best. I want to thank my group and my team, especially my mom.”

U11 Girls Triathle champion Reno Suzuki (JPN) said: “I was just thinking about being world champion. That was it. I am so happy.”

Women’s Masters 60+ Triathle champion Lynette Fischer (RSA) said: “I am very grateful to my lord and saviour for giving me the ability to run still at this age and to participate and mix with so many people who I have known for years – we meet at the World Champs every year. Even though we only see each other once a year we have become friends and I appreciate them. Without them we wouldn’t have the competition. All the young ones, they get to know you and cheer you on and it’s really inspiring. They lift you, it makes it so much fun.”

Men’s Masters 50+ Triathle champion Emanuele Gambini (ITA) said: “I am very happy about this race because this competition is very difficult. I shot very well and swam very well and ran too. I’m very happy. I cried when I crossed the line, it was a release of tension. In Lisbon a few weeks ago, my shooting was terrible and I told my President that this would be my last competition. But now… I don’t know!”

Podium summary

The battle for medal supremacy was an all-African affair as South Africa and Egypt shone across almost all age grades. In the end it was South Africa who came out on top with a remarkable 26 golds across the four days. 

Egypt were not far behind with 22 golds, while Great Britain managed an impressive 16. In all, 13 countries across three continents topped the podium with many more finding room on the medal table, including Thailand who claimed a memorable bronze. 

Ayan Beisenbayev of Kazakhstan doubled up in impressive fashion as he took gold in both the Senior Men’s category in Biathle and Triathle with Alexandre Dallenbach of Switzerland claiming silver in both.

In the Senior Women’s events Ieva Serapinaite of Lithuania lived up to her status as a top-six ranked pentathlete as she claimed an impressive gold in Triathle, while in Biathle it was Lea Fernandez of France who prevented a Lithuanian double as Aurelija Tamasauskaite (LTU) took silver in both disciplines. Tokyo 2020 Olympian Mariana Arceo of Mexico claimed double bronze. 

One of the highlights of the youth competitions came in the Girls’ U11 Triathle where Reno Suzuki of Japan broke the Egypt-South Africa stranglehold on gold. There were also gold medals for Germany, Czech Republic, Portugal, Greece, Austria, Latvia and Spain. 

UIPM and partner reaction

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann said: “We have once again seen the very best of UIPM sports here in the beautiful environment of Machico. It was so pleasing to see a record number of athletes coming from across the world to gather together, compete and enjoy the spirit and the power of sport. 

“The weather was excellent, with great conditions for high-quality and exciting racing for athletes of all ages, and the atmosphere was great. We could see how athletes from different countries started to build friendships.

“To see different continents represented on the podium, with athletes from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas winning medals, we have once again seen the popularity and power of Biathle-Triathle.

“My thanks go to the Portuguese Modern Pentathlon Federation, who have put on such a wonderful event. A special thanks to President Joao Pereira de Almeida, who I have known for 50 years. Manuel Borroso and his team presented an excellent organisation following the UIPM Laser Run World Championships in Lisbon few weeks ago. We had super support from the city government and the Mayor of Machico, Ricardo Franco.”

UIPM Executive Board Member for Development, Dr Viacheslav Malishev, said: “We witnessed four fantastic days in this festival of sports. There have been a number of very pleasing signs of the continued growth and development of UIPM Sports. We welcomed new nations such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran this week and we also saw an athlete from Thailand on the podium. 

“In the beginning of its existence, Biathle was the discipline that drew so many new fans and athletes, but what we are seeing now is that Triathle is becoming more and more popular and we are almost reaching a perfect balance between the two, which will only continue to fuel their growth.”

Dr Joao Pereira de Almeida, President of the Portuguese Modern Pentathlon Federation (FPPM), added: “This has been a period of huge opportunity for the Portuguese federation and we are so glad that we have been able to organise a successful UIPM 2022 Biathle-Triathle World Championships.

“Just last month we hosted a record-breaking UIPM 2022 Laser Run World Championships in Lisbon, so to be able to follow up with a wonderful week on the beautiful island of Madeira was another wonderful opportunity. 

“We again hope that the entire global sporting community see the pictures and see that Portugal is happy to organise competitions for the UIPM Sports family.”

Watch and follow

Each day of the UIPM 2022 Biathle-Triathle World Championships can be watched on playback at UIPM.TV.

The UIPM competition season is now over, but follow World Pentathlon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram throughout the year and visit the UIPM website or download the “UIPM Central” app to find results.