UIPM 2022 Pentathlon World Cup Final: Clouvel (FRA) and Jun (KOR) savour joy of gold

• Women’s Rio 2016 medallist denies Varley (GBR) as Gulyas (HUN) claims bronze
• Men’s Tokyo 2020 medallist leads Korean 1-2 with Seo (KOR) ahead of Bohm (HUN)
• Fourth places for Uchida (JPN) and Choong (GBR) on Super Saturday

Elodie Clouvel of France and Woongtae Jun of Korea were crowned champions on Super Saturday at the UIPM 2022 Pentathlon World Cup Final.

In the Women’s Final, Jessica Varley of Great Britain came within 4sec of earning back-to-back golds after her success in Ankara (GBR) two weeks ago. In the end she was repelled by a stubborn Clouvel (FRA), while Michelle Gulyas of Hungary held off a fierce challenge from Misaki Uchida of Japan to secure bronze.

There was rather less tension in the Men’s Final as Jun (KOR) completed another masterclass to top the podium alongside his team-mate, first-time Pentathlon World Cup medallist Changwan Seo (KOR). Csaba Bohm (HUN) brought his team a second bronze of the day after holding off the finishing speed of Joseph Choong (GBR) and Martin Vlach of Czech Republic.

For the champions, it was a long-awaited success as this gold had eluded them in the years while they were winning Olympic medals. Rio 2016 silver medallist Clouvel (FRA) had never previously won the Pentathlon World Cup Final, and Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Jun (KOR) last won it in 2014 when he was only 18.

 

Women’s Final

Riding

For the third competition in succession, Ilke Ozyuksel of Turkey achieved a perfect score of 300 in Riding to the delight of a supportive home crowd.

At the top end of the standings, Gulyas (HUN) and Clouvel (FRA) each scored 293 with only one transgression, while Elena Micheli of Italy dislodged two barriers for 286 and overall leader Amira Kandil of Egypt lost ground with three mistakes.

Four other athletes had an unblemished scorecard, and it was a big moment for Ieva Serapinaite of Lithuania and Varley (GBR) in particular. Ismail Malik (EGY) and Sunwoo Kim (KOR) also enjoyed a clean round.

There was only one elimination in Riding, but it was a significant development as 5th-placed Salma Abdelmaksoud (EGY) could have been a strong medal contender otherwise.

Fencing

With a clear advantage from her excellent Ranking Round (25V/10D), Kandil (EGY) was still in the overall lead at the start of the Bonus Round but she was joined at No.1 by Gulyas (HUN) after a dramatic sequence.

Gulyas (HUN), who had scored 21V/14D in the Ranking Round, added six crucial points by disposing of Green (GBR), Clouvel (FRA) and finally Kandil (EGY) on the show piste.

The other star of the Bonus Round was Elena Potapenko of Kazakhstan, who added six points, and other notable performers in the Ranking Round were Clouvel (FRA, 22V) and Olivia Green (GBR, 20V/15D).

 

Swimming

The importance of Swimming as the final discipline before the Laser Run climax was underlined when Clouvel (FRA) lined up alongside Gulyas (HUN) with only a 1sec deficit overall.

A mere 2min 12.36sec later, Clouvel (FRA) was heading into the Laser Run with a crucial 6sec lead having overpowered her rival in the final heat.

Gulyas (HUN) was 4th-fastest in 2:15.74, while there were excellent swims by Micheli (ITA, 2:13.01) and Uchida (JPN, 2:13.39).

Laser Run

Gulyas (HUN) was the first to make a move with a rapid opening shoot, and she held her advantage throughout the first half of the race with Clouvel (FRA) never far from her shoulder.

It was on the fourth lap of 600m that the experienced Clouvel (FRA) took the lead back from the world No.1, and Varley (GBR) also passed Gulyas (HUN) having cut through the pack from 11th in typical style.

Now the race was fraught with tension, but the advantage of Varley (GBR) going into her shooting berth first didn’t deter the other two, and all three left the range for the final lap in very close proximity.

First Clouvel (FRA) advanced, and then Varley (GBR) appeared and briefly edged in front, before a 33-year-old doyenne of Modern Pentathlon proved that form is temporary and class is permanent.

Clouvel (FRA) flew up the hill and into the cross-country section with her teeth bared, powering away from Varley (GBR) through the woodland and holding her pace on the last stretch, winning finally by 4sec with Gulyas (HUN) a further 7sec behind and the impressive Uchida (JPN) only 2sec away from what would have been a highly unexpected medal.

Behind them, Potapenko (KAZ) and Serapinaite (LTU) finished strongly to confirm their podium places, while local hero Ozyuksel (TUR) ended a fortnight of strong performances on home soil in 11th.

Men’s Final

Riding

A superb series of controlled performances on horseback saw most of the leading medal contenders remain fully in contention.

Seven of the 18 riders enjoyed perfect scores of 300, among them Woongtae (KOR), Bohm (HUN), Choong (GBR), Vlach (CZE) and his team-mate Marek Grycz (CZE), Valentin Prades (FRA) and Giuseppe Parisi (ITA).

Seo (KOR) and Jinhwa Jung (KOR) scored 293 to apply pressure, along with world champion Adam Marosi (HUN) and Maksym Aharushev of Ukraine.

Fencing

After another standout performance in the Ranking Round by Jun (KOR, 23V/12D), all contenders wanted to give themselves a boost in the Bonus Round but all of the last five bouts were won by Bohm (HUN) in a remarkable sequence that brought him 10 valuable points.

The other top performers in the Ranking Round were Duilio Carrillo of Mexico (21V/14D) and Seo (KOR, 20V/15D).

Swimming

As if to reassert his authority after losing the final Fencing bout, Jun (KOR) achieved the fastest Swimming time of 2:02.72, albeit there was little to separate him from Jung (KOR, 2:03.76) and Bohm (HUN, 2:03.96).

It all meant that Jun (KOR) would start the Laser Run with a 12sec lead over Bohm (HUN), 21sec over Choong (GBR) and 28sec over Seo (KOR).

Laser Run

Vlach (CZE) made an early move into 5th on the opening lap, but more significant was the sight of Seo (KOR) appearing on the shoulder of Choong (GBR) and joining the medal race. Indeed, Seo (KOR) overtook the Olympic champion on the first visit to the shooting range and never had cause to look back.

At the front, Jun (KOR) was displaying his usual nerves of steel but Seo (KOR) was shooting even better, which was a good thing as Vlach (CZE) was in 4th place by the third run.

However, the third shoot was a game changer as both Bohm (HUN) and Vlach (CZE) took more than 20sec to achieve their five hits, loosening the pressure on the Koreans who were now running away with it. Before long Jun (KOR) and Seo (KOR) were celebrating with a big hug on the finish line, to be joined soon by 9th-placed Jung (KOR).

To his credit, Bohm (HUN) kept his composure and ran strongly, despite knowing there were some very fast athletes behind him, to cap a terrific Pentathlon World Cup season with a hard-earned bronze medal.

Behind Choong (GBR) and Vlach (CZE) there was a satisfying 6th place for Prades (FRA), three-time winner and defending champion.

Medallists’ reaction

Women’s gold medallist Clouvel (FRA) said: “I’m very happy. Thank you to my new team, because at the start of the season there was a transition after the Olympic Games and my coach said to take it step by step, because it’s a new format, and finally in the World Cup Final I had the perfect day.

“Thank you so much to my family, my friends, my new team and coach and my boyfriend, Valentin Belaud, who had a difficult day yesterday.

“Today I was able to win and it’s very great for France, because the work is going well, step by step.

“After Swimming, I was a little bit tired because of the new format, it’s very fast, but I really concentrated and was calm in my shooting, and in the last 600m I said ‘OK, Elodie, this is your chance’.

“I wanted to win and it’s my first time winning the World Cup Final, so I’m very happy.”

Silver medallist Varley (GBR) said: “I’m absolutely delighted to come back to Ankara and put in another really good performance. If you’d told me at the beginning of the season I was going to finish the World Cups with gold and silver in the Final, I wouldn’t have believed you.

“I’m exhausted but delighted. I’ve worked really hard on my running and I really enjoy it. This season my shooting has improved and that’s what has really helped me make the next step up. I didn’t shoot quite as well today as I did last week, but I’m really happy.

“I try to go into my own lane on the shooting range and just be with me and the target and block everything else out. Obviously it’s difficult to do, but because I was on target 11 I was quite far from the others, which I think helps me because I can’t see them. It’s just practice, practice, practice.

“I’m really excited for the World Championships now.”

Bronze medallist Gulyas (HUN) said: “I was really happy that I could take home bronze today. My physical disciplines were not the best but I’m really happy with my technical disciplines because my shooting was incredible.

“I don’t even know how I managed my shooting so well in such big tension, but I’m very happy.

“I think my shooting is my strongest discipline. I close out everything around me and I don’t even see anyone else on the shooting range, and I think this is an advantage for sure.

“I saw Varley already coming on the first lap and I thought ‘oh my God, how does she do it?’ She’s amazing and Elodie was also running well, so it was a really though race but enjoyable too.”

 

Men’s gold medallist Jun (KOR) said: “I always do my best to win a medal and I’m very happy. Myself and Changwan both succeeded because of our coaches and team members.

“In Korea, Modern Pentathlon is getting better and better and I want to say thank you for all of the support.”

Silver medallist Seo (KOR) said: “I was running hard and it’s all thanks to my coaches and my team members. I knew I had to do better today.”

Bronze medallist Bohm (HUN) said: “I’m very tired and I need to take a really long recovery after this race.

“I had some struggles with my third shooting, with five or six mistakes, but all day it was quite perfect for me, especially the Riding, which is the most difficult part of Modern Pentathlon. I’m satisfied with my result.”

 

President’s reaction

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann said: “This morning we had a very exciting Women’s Final followed by the Men’s Final in the afternoon, and I must say that both World Cup Finals today featured the highest level of performances by athletes who earned the right to compete here based on their achievements throughout the season.

“We also had excellent organisation from the best organising committee we have worked with this season, with a super Pentathlon Arena that sets a high standard for all future competitions on the way to Paris 2024.

“I must say a huge thanks to the Turkish Modern Pentathlon Federation and its President, Prof Veli Ozan Cakir, whose team have delivered the best possible conditions for our athletes to have an unforgettable World Cup Final.

“Thanks also to the volunteers and sponsors and the Government and National Olympic Committee for the support they have given to the National Federation. And we have to underline that the selection of horses was truly befitting the quality of our sport, which depends on very good horses. 

“Tomorrow we will have the Mixed Relay and again we are looking forward to wonderful conditions for the athletes to compete together.”

 

Watch and follow

The UIPM 2022 Pentathlon World Cup Final concludes with the Mixed Relay on Sunday, June 26. Live coverage is available on UIPM.TV and up-to-date results competitions can be found at the UIPM website and via the UIPM Central app.

The next competition on the UIPM circuit will be the UIPM 2022 Pentathlon World Championships in Alexandria (EGY) from July 24-31.

Rank	Name	Nation	MP Points		Rank	Name	Nation	MP Points
1	CLOUVEL Elodie	FRA	1385		1	JUN Woongtae	KOR	1508
2	VARLEY Jessica	GBR	1381		2	SEO Changwan	KOR	1498
3	GULYAS Michelle	HUN	1374		3	BOHM Csaba	HUN	1485
4	UCHIDA Misaki	JPN	1372		4	CHOONG Joseph	GBR	1471
5	POTAPENKO Elena	KAZ	1368		5	VLACH Martin	CZE	1470
6	SERAPINAITE Ieva	LTU	1363		6	PRADES Valentin	FRA	1464
7	MICHELI Elena	ITA	1359		7	GRYCZ Marek	CZE	1459
8	VEGA Tamara	MEX	1351		8	SZEP Balazs	HUN	1454
9	GREEN Olivia	GBR	1349		9	JUNG Jinhwa	KOR	1448
10	KIM Sunwoo	KOR	1349		10	KUF Jan	CZE	1446
11	OZYUKSEL Ilke	TUR	1341		11	CARRILLO Duilio	MEX	1443
12	ISMAIL Malak	EGY	1336		12	ILYASHENKO Pavel	KAZ	1439
13	KRENKOVA Karolina	CZE	1335		13	AHARUSHEV Maksym	UKR	1435
14	MERCURI Beatrice	ITA	1315		14	PARISI Giuseppe Mattia	ITA	1430
15	KIM Sehee	KOR	1314		15	MAROSI Adam	HUN	1423
16	KANDIL Amira	EGY	1306		16	HAMED Ahmed	EGY	1411
17	EGLOFF Lea	SUI	1276		17	PATTE Christopher	FRA	1167
18	ABDELMAKSOUD Salma	EGY	1070		18	PADILLA Manuel	MEX	1144