UIPM 2015 World Cup #4 - Gold stays at home

KECSKEMET, HUNGARY - Home favourites Adam Marosi and Anna Zs. Toth (Hungary) took gold in the Mix Relay gold in a dramatic end to the 2015 UIPM World Cup Series in Kecskémet.

Neck and neck with Nathan Schrimsher (USA) in the final lap of the combined run, the 2012 London bronze medallist Marosi (HUN) summoned sprint finish from tired legs to claim victory by five seconds. Schrimsher (USA), who was paired with Margaux Isaksen, put up a spirited fight and almost overtook Marosi with half a lap to go but was ultimately forced to settle for silver.

Jun Woogtae and Kim Sunwoo (South Korea) were third with brother-and-sister team Max and Chloe Esposito (Australia) fighting from sixth ahead of the combined into fourth overall. London 2012 Olympic champion David Svoboda (Czech Republic) showed he still has not fully recovered from back and leg problems as he finished fifth with Natalie Dianova, 54 seconds behind the leaders.

Marosi (HUN) heaped praise on his team-mate, thanking partner Anna Toth for setting him up for his grandstand finish. "In the fencing she was brilliant and in the run she was brilliant too," Marosi said. "And then to win in the last 100m, that is why I am so happy."

Isaksen (USA) said she was "incredibly happy" with the result and that it served notice that the US pair can compete at the highest level. "Adam [Marosi] is one of the best in the world," Isaksen said. "But we're making strides and I think we'll have more good things to come. Silver is just a step in the right direction."

Schrimsher (USA) said: "The Hungarians are an awesome team. We had a solid day with no mistakes, but every day is a learning experience."

Earlier, the Kazakhstan pair of Vladislav Sukharev and Elena Potapenko took a first-stage lead after beating the Americans into top spot in the 200m swimming. The Hungarian duo was third and the Czech team fourth.

However, the Kazakhstanis lost ground in the fencing, coming in ninth out of 11, before disaster struck and Sukharev tumbled off his horse in the riding. He was able to walk off the parade ground with the help of the medics and despite looking in some discomfort competed in the final stage for 10th position overall.

The Americans stretched a slender lead over the Hungarians in the fencing as they took first spot with 27 wins. Marosi and Toth, however, stayed firmly in contention as they also took 27 wins and second place. Those positions were replicated in the riding, setting up the two teams for an exciting final combination event as the American's took a six-second head start against the Hungarians.

Behind them, the Koreans stayed within touching distance after steady results in the pool and in the fencing, but a disappointing sixth spot in the riding saw them 31 seconds back going into the combined event. The Czech pair were in fourth, a distant 53 seconds down on the leaders, as they and other riders struggled to stay within a tight time limit over the eight-fence course.

As the women set off under sunny skies for the first two laps of the combined course, Isaksen's lead was soon whittled down by a determined Toth (HUN). Her excellent shooting put her ahead of Isaksen but the more experienced American, who was third in the Women's Individual event on Saturday, made sure she passed over to her compatriot in the lead with a strong final lap run.

But despite his best efforts, Schrimsher could do nothing about Marosi's late surge to the line.

UIPM President Dr. Klaus Schormann was full of praise for the male and female athletes and said the Mix Relay brought out the true spirit of Modern Pentathlon. "This is a wonderful team competition that shows the competitors working together in great harmony.

"We had yet another dramatic finish to complement the excitement over the past days and the crowd was thrilled to see the Hungarians cross the line first.

"The Hungarian organisers have been outstanding and we have been made to feel very welcome by all who are here. The athletes have really responded to the crowds and have competed much better because of the support."

The World Cup Series ends at the World Cup Final in Minsk, Belarus from June 11-14.

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