UIPM 2022 Pentathlon World Championships: All you need to know

• Tokyo 2020 reunion for Olympic medallists Choong (GBR), Elgendy (EGY) and Jun (KOR)
• Clouvel (FRA) leads charge in first World Championships of Paris 2024 cycle
• Return of China adds to global reach of flagship Modern Pentathlon competition

In Egypt’s second city, 170 athletes from 35 countries will compete for Modern Pentathlon’s most coveted honour – the title of world champion.

The flagship UIPM 2022 Pentathlon World Championships offers the stars of the Pentathlon World Cup season and returning Olympians from 2021 the chance to compete for medals across individual events and relays.

Among those returning after a period of absence is Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist Ahmed Elgendy of Egypt, who has recovered after surgery to star on home soil, and the entire China team which was unable until now to travel to competitions.

The return of Elgendy (EGY) sets up a reunion of the Tokyo 2020 men’s podium, as champion Joseph Choong of Great Britain and bronze medallist Woongtae Jun of Korea are also set to compete in a field that contains all members of the world’s top 10.

The women’s event is also stacked with quality athletes, led by Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallist and recent Pentathlon World Cup Final winner Elodie Clouvel of France.

The competition on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea takes place from July 24-31 – scroll down for the full schedule.

 

Ones to watch – women

All five gold medallists from the UIPM 2022 Pentathlon World Cup – including world No.1 Clouvel (FRA) – will be on the start line in Alexandria (EGY) aiming to embellish their already successful seasons.

The other gold medallists were Michelle Gulyas of Hungary, Elena Micheli of Italy, Ieva Serapinaite of Lithuania and Jessica Varley (GBR).

The host nation’s hopes might rest on world No.9 Salma Abdelmaksoud (EGY) but she is accompanied in the team by Fencing specialist Amira Kandil (EGY) and two-time African champion Haydy Morsy (EGY).

Perennial contenders Great Britain, Hungary, Korea and Mexico field strong teams, as ever, while much will be expected from the likes of Rebecca Langrehr of Germany, Misaki Uchida of Japan and Ilke Ozyuksel of Turkey.

 

Ones to watch – men

Almost every star in the men’s Pentathlon galaxy will be burning brightly in Alexandria (EGY) when their individual event gets under way.

Apart from Tokyo 2020 Olympic medallists Choong (GBR), Elgendy (EGY) and Jun (KOR) – who set a new world record on his way to winning double gold including the Pentathlon World Cup Final title this season – there are numerous other contenders with proven form.

Among the new wave of potential champions are team-mates Csaba Bohm and Balazs Szep (HUN), Martin Vlach of Czech Republic and Christopher Patte (FRA) – who competes this week alongside two-time world champion Valentin Belaud (FRA) and three-time World Cup Final winner Valentin Prades (FRA).

The Asian challenge could be even more fierce than usual, with threats coming not only from Korea, where world No.1 Jun (KOR) is backed up by Jinhwa Jung (KOR), Jihun Lee (KOR) and Changwan Seo (KOR). China could also feature prominently if Shuai Luo (CHN) and Shuhuan Li (CHN) can recapture their pre-Tokyo form.

South America also returns to the fray, with Tokyo Olympians such as Sergio Villamayor of Argentina and Esteban Bustos of Chile competing internationally for the first time in 2022.

President’s welcome

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann said: “As we approach the end of an exciting 2022 season, I would like to welcome all athletes and their delegations to the World Championships in Alexandria.

“Last year, we held a very successful Youth & Junior World Championships in this historic and beautiful city, and this year our senior athletes will enjoy the same opportunity.

“This is the first time that the World Championships will be arranged within the new Modern Pentathlon format, which was created for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. During the World Cups and World Cup Final this season, the athletes demonstrated great versatility in embracing the new format, which is so exciting for TV viewers and spectators.

“I would like to thank the National Federation of Egypt, the NOC, the Government of Egypt, and the host the Arab Academy for Science Technology & Maritime Transport of Alexandria. I wish all athletes the best results, and fair and respectful competition for all.”

 

Watch and follow

The UIPM 2022 Pentathlon World Championships will be the first to feature Riding in the Semi-finals as well as the Final, testing the format that will be used at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

All Semi-finals and Finals will be streamed live on UIPM.TV with results available at the UIPM website and via the UIPM Central app.

Live coverage of the UIPM 2022 Pentathlon World Cup Final is available to UIPMTV subscribers with annual packages costing €14.99.

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

 

Competition schedule

UIPM 2022 Pentathlon World Championships

Times denote start of UIPM.TV live coverage (CEST)

July 24: Men’s Relay

July 25: Women’s Relay

July 26: Men’s Qualification

July 27: Women’s Qualification | Men’s Fencing Ranking Round

July 28: Men’s Semi-final A (5pm) | Men’s Semi-final B (7.30pm) | Women’s Fencing Ranking Round

July 29: Women’s Semi-final A (5pm) | Women’s Semi-final B (7.30pm)

July 30: Men’s Final (4.30pm) | Women’s Final (8pm)

July 31: Mixed Relay (4pm)