UIPM 2026 Pentathlon World Cup Pazardzhik: Guzi (HUN) and Ozyuksel (TUR) race into Women’s Final
As she continues her quest to claim back-to-back gold medals to kick off the season, Blanka Guzi of Hungary laid down another marker on Women’s Semi-final day at UIPM 2026 Pentathlon World Cup Pazardzhik. But on a day of stellar performances she had plenty of rivals right there with her.
Three-time Olympian Ilke Ozyuksel of Türkiye and 2024 junior world champion Viktoriia Sazonova (AIN) showed they will be among a host of formidable foes in what’s shaping up to be a cracking Women’s Final in Bulgaria on Sunday.
Ozyuksel (TUR) dominated much of Semi-final A before crossing the finishing line hand in hand with Guzi (HUN) with her fast-finishing compatriot Blanka Bauer (HUN) not too far behind.
In blissful afternoon sunshine, Semi-final B saw a stirring display of unity as a throng of six rivals crossed the finishing line in a blanket embrace, raising their hands together as they sealed progress. Sazonova (AIN) was joined by both Anna and Katharina Jurt of Switzerland in that group.
Multiple UIPM Pentathlon World Cup gold medallist Kerenza Bryson of Great Britain, making her return to the sport for the first time since the Paris 2024 Olympics, grabbed the last spot in Super Sunday’s decider.
Click here for a full list of the athletes who qualified for the Women's Final.
Semi-final A
In Fencing, the seedings proved to be particularly accurate as Yana Soloveva (AIN) and Charlie Follett (GBR) fully justified their positions atop the field in a frenetic series of showdowns on the piste. Follett (GBR) knocked off Guzi (HUN) and Mariya Gnedtchik (AIN) before winning a pulsating semi-final with Lilly Farag of Egypt 5-4. That booked a final with Soloveva (AIN) who was in dominant form. While Follett (GBR) found herself in a 0-2 hole, she battled back to level and then won in fine fashion to take a lead at the head of the field.
The day’s first shock came in Obstacle when Florina Jurt (SUI), who has made a habit of trading world records on the discipline with twin sister Katharina, hesitated on the penultimate obstacle and faulted, costing her another blistering time. Instead it was Ozyuksel (TUR) and Vivienne Meyer (SUI) who spurred one another on to two of the day’s fastest times, both going sub-28sec and screaming with delight.
In the pool, Ozyuksel (TUR) continued to show how comfortable she feels in Bulgaria, leading home her heat as Guzi (HUN) jumped up the leaderboard with the fastest swim in 1min 02.34sec. Xiyao Wu of China was also quick as she made her move towards clinching a Final spot.
With a tightly-packed field, the potential for a captivating Laser Run increases and so it proved as an exemplary exhibition of shooting saw some big moves made. Having started outside the top nine, Bauer (HUN) and Gnedtchik (AIN) made their move up the rankings in a hurry. Lucie Hlavackova of Czechia was upwardly mobile too.
With Ozyuksel (TUR), Guzi (HUN) and the other leaders comfortable, attention turned to the business end. The Laser Run pedigree of Laura Heredia of Spain was all too evident as she made a huge jump up the field and put pressure on those dropping back. Among that cohort was Follett (GBR) who, for the first time, wobbled with a 20sec shoot in her final visit to the range. It briefly put her in big trouble, dropping back to 11th behind Meyer (SUI) and Coline Flavin of France, but Follett (GBR) found a strong kick to seal the last spot.
Semi-final B
Catherine Mayran Oliver of Mexico was the most impressive fencer in the afternoon as she knocked off top seed Sazonova (AIN) in the quarter-final before ending the run of Anna Jurt (SUI) in the next round to advance to the Top 2. There she met No.6 seed Nadja Farmand of Germany who had bested Bryson (GBR) in the semi-final, before succumbing to the accuracy of Oliver (MEX) who took maximum points.
To no one’s surprise, Katharina Jurt (SUI) proved to be quickest over Obstacle but she was run very close by 21-year-old Valentina Martinescu of Italy who clocked 28.82sec.
Martinescu (ITA) kept that swift pace in the pool, finishing fastest in 59.94sec with Anastasiya Malashenoka (AIN) and Sazonova (AIN) close behind. Korean duo Sumin Shin and Seungmin Seong, the Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medalist, tried to move up the leaderboard with impressive swims.
Sazonova (AIN) would kick off the Laser Run with a healthy 14sec advantage on the field but for many of the others in those precious top nine places there was a daunting group of experienced campaigners chasing final places from just below.
Katharina Jurt (SUI) quickly set about securing her final places alongside sister Anna (SUI) while Bryson (GBR) showed the value of her diligent pre-season work as she rose to 9th and then created separation from Zeina Amer (EGY) to leave it a relatively comfortable finish for the front nine.
Watch and follow
UIPM 2026 Pentathlon World Cup Pazardzhik takes place from May 13-17, with live stream of the Semi-finals and Finals available free on UIPM’s YouTube streaming service.
Daily schedule with stream start times (Central European Summer Time) as follows:
- Saturday May 16: Men’s Semi-final A (09:00); Men’s Semi-final B (13:00)
- Sunday May 17: Women’s Final (09:00), Men’s Final (13:00).
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