UIPM 2024 Pentathlon World Cup Ankara: All you need to know

• World No.1 Sotero (ITA) leads women’s field packed with Olympic pedigree
• Tokyo 2020 medallists Elgendy (EGY) and Jun (KOR) top the bill in men’s event
• President Schormann praises host nation Türkiye  

Almost 200 pentathletes from 39 countries have gathered for the second major competition of the Olympic Modern Pentathlon season, UIPM 2024 Pentathlon World Cup Ankara.

With 28 of the 72 places at Paris 2024 remaining unallocated, and many of those who have secured quota places looking to finetune their form, competition will be fierce and the athlete line-up is once again packed with stardom and podium experience.

All points earned in the six major UIPM competitions this season can potentially count towards the UIPM Olympic Pentathlon World Ranking list.

Those who perform best in the regular season in Cairo (EGY), Ankara (TUR), Budapest (HUN) and Sofia (BUL) will earn a place in the UIPM 2024 Pentathlon World Cup Final, also here in Ankara (TUR). This will be followed by one last opportunity to win direct qualification quota places for Paris 2024 at the UIPM 2024 Pentathlon World Championships in Zhengzhou (CHN).

Ones to watch – women

World No.1 and European champion Alice Sotero of Italy will be seen by many as the one to beat, with team-mate Elena Micheli (ITA) and Pentathlon World Cup Cairo winner Michelle Gulyas of Hungary sitting this one out. But will this be the competition that sees an Olympic legend rise back to the fore?

As Olympic host nation, France has high expectations and many eyes are following Rio 2016 silver medallist Elodie Clouvel, along with world No.7 Marie Oteiza and junior starlet Rebecca Castaudi.

Lithuania is another team packed with quality including London 2012 champion and Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Laura Asadauskaite, who recently reflected on her extraordinary longevity having turned 40. She is joined as ever by Ieva Serapinaite (LTU), Gintare Venckauskaite (LTU) and Elzbieta Adomaityte (LTU).

This time last year, the opportunity to shine in front of a home crowd did not go according to plan for Ilke Ozyuksel of Türkiye, although she did win silver in the UIPM 2023 Pentathlon World Cup Final, and the world No.5 is likely to be a contender. As is Kerenza Bryson of Great Britain, a bronze medallist in Cairo (EGY) and one of the most consistent performers in the past 12 months.

Korea has improved significantly with Pentathlon World Cup medals in the past 12 months for Seungmin Seong and Sunwoo Kim, both of whom return to the start line here. Mexico is another source of rich talent with Mariana Arceo currently ranked 2nd in the Olympic world rankings.

Visit the UIPM website to see the latest world rankings for women and the latest Olympic world rankings for women.

 

Ones to watch – men

Given their rate of podium success in recent years it would surprise nobody if an athlete from Egypt dominated proceedings this week. Last month in Cairo (EGY) it was Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Ahmed Elgendy (gold) and Moutaz Mohamed (silver) smiling for the cameras on Super Saturday, but joint world No.1 Mohanad Shaban is another major contender after his exceptional 2023 season.

Like Shaban (EGY), world No.3 Emiliano Hernandez (MEX) did not carry his exceptional 2023 form into the 2024 season-opener but will still carry a threat here, as will the Korea team led by Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Woongtae Jun and Changwan Seo.

On the European side, the field is much more open with numerous athletes from Hungary, Germany, Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland and Ukraine who have a record of success at the highest level.

Returning for Olympic host nation France will be three-time Pentathlon World Cup Final winner Valentin Prades, alongside two-time world champion Valentin Belaud, Christopher Patte and Pierre Dejardin.

Visit the UIPM website to see the latest world rankings for men and the latest Olympic world rankings for men.

How it works

The 2024 season will be the last to feature the format introduced in 2022 when the new Modern Pentathlon elimination system – featuring a 90-minute showcase of all five disciplines in the Semi-finals and Finals – was introduced. After Paris 2024, Riding will be replaced by Obstacle at all levels of the sport.

Two days of qualification on April 16/17 will determine the line-up for the Semi-finals (36 male and 36 female athletes) on April 18/19. The Finals will then provide a ‘Super Saturday’ highlight on April 20 followed by the Mixed Relay on April 21.

 

President’s welcome

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann said: “At the end of this captivating season we will see the hard training of many of our athletes rewarded with the ultimate opportunity – to compete in the Olympic Games in front of an audience of billions.

“While Paris is their final destination, Ankara is one of the key venues of the 2024 season – not only because we are here for this week’s UIPM Pentathlon World Cup but also because we will be back in this wonderful capital city for the UIPM Pentathlon World Cup Final in May. Türkiye has become a trusted ally and a highly respected nation within our global movement.

“Competition this week will be intense, but I urge athletes to never forget their responsibility to compete in a spirit of fair play, as our founder Pierre de Coubertin envisaged, and respect the Olympic values as we together enjoy the glory of our unique multisport. Faster, Stronger, Higher … Together.”

 

Watch and follow

Live coverage of UIPM 2024 Pentathlon World Cup Cairo is available to subscribers on UIPM.TV where annual packages cost €14.99.

 

Visit the UIPM website or download UIPM Central from your app store to keep track of live results. Follow World Pentathlon on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or X for additional content.

 

Competition schedule

UIPM 2024 Pentathlon World Cup Ankara

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

April 16: Women’s Qualification

April 17: Men’s Qualification | Women’s Fencing Ranking Round

April 18: Women’s Semi-Final A (10:00) | Women’s Semi-final B (16:00) | Men’s Fencing Ranking Round

April 19: Men’s Semi-Final A (10:00) | Men’s Semi-final B (16:00)

April 20: Women’s Final (09:00) | Men’s Final (14:00)

April 21: Mixed Relay (12:30)