49TH CISM WORLD MILITARY CHAMPIONSHIPS: GLORY FOR OZYUKSEL (TUR) AND TOVKAI (UKR)

The 49th CISM World Military Championships ushered in a new era as the dynamic discipline of Obstacle was undertaken for the first time.

One of the most venerable and prestigious sporting events on the pentathlon calendar, the 2025 edition, hosted in the Polish city of Drzonkow (POL) from September 22-28, lived up to its reputation as it gathered a field stacked with some of the biggest names in the sport.

There was individual glory for Ilke Ozyuksel of Türkiye and Oleksandr Tovkai of Ukraine, the pair of Paris 2024 Olympians proving all too capable of adapting to the newest discipline as they were crowned individual champions.

Ozyuksel (TUR) held her nerve in a glittering field in the Women’s Final producing a brilliant all-round display highlighted by a typically dogged Laser Run performance to win by 21 seconds. A measure of her performance came in the identity of her fellow medalists — Malgorzata Karbownik of Poland taking silver and Aurora Tognetti of Italy claiming bronze. Both currently sit inside the top five in the UIPM World Rankings, with Tognetti (ITA) having won bronze at the UIPM 2025 Pentathlon World Championships in August, finishing just ahead of Karbownik (POL).

Gold medalist Ozyuksel (TUR) said: “I represented my country for the first time at the Military World Championships. It was an incredible feeling and a struggle. I can say that I earned all the medals I wanted to win all season in a single competition. For me, hearing our national anthem sung was the greatest reward.

“I'm finishing the season with a medal. I thank my family, team, coaches, federation, club, sponsors, and all my supporters. I look forward to seeing you again in the new season for new achievements.”

In the Men’s Final, Tovkai (UKR) delivered a memorable victory to rise to the top of the global military sporting elite. Things were much tighter for him as he was pushed all the way to the finish line by a resurgent Csaba Bohm of Hungary, the 2024 world champion showing hugely promising form as he looks towards the 2026 campaign. The champion’s team-mate, Danylo Sych (UKR), took bronze with a total of four Ukrainian competitors among the top seven finishers in Drzonkow (POL).

Earlier in the week, there were Relay gold medals for Egypt, Poland and Ukraine while Women’s Team gold went to Türkiye with Ukraine taking Men’s Team honours. 

Photo credit: @cwz_sport