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UIPM 2021 Youth World Championships (U19 and U17): Ismail and Kandil keep their nerve to claim more gold for Egypt

Tetrathlon
  • Host nation makes it two from two with U19 Women’s Relay glory
  • Pulsating Laser Run sees Soloveva and Sazonova (RUS) drop to silver 
  • Hungary gets first medal of Championships with bronze

Anything the men can do…the women can do just as spectacularly. Egypt took gold on the second day of the UIPM 2021 Youth World Championships (U19 and U17) as Malak Ismail and Amira Kandil combined brilliantly to take the U19 Women’s Relay title on home soil.

Just 24 hours after they saw their male counterparts get the host nation off to flyer with U19 Men’s Relay gold in Alexandria, Ismail and Kandil (EGY) kept their nerve in a pulsating conclusion to claim the same colour medal.  

Ismail crossed the finishing line and jumped right into Kandil’s arms with Russia’s impressive duo of Yana Soloveva and Viktoria Sazonova left to take silver by the narrowest of margins. Hungary got on to the podium for the first time in these action-packed championships as Dorina Dobronyl and Reka Marschall took bronze. 

Germany’s team of Kim Spletzer and Anna Waltermann narrowly missed out on a medal but their performance bodes well with five days of competition including individual and relay events still to come at the Arab Academy for Science Technology & Maritime Transport. 

But the remarkable consistency of Ismail and Kandil (EGY) across all events was just another signal of how strong the host nation is at youth levels of the sport. The duo dominated proceedings in the pool to get out ahead of the rest of the field before finishing in the top three in the Fencing round. They secured gold with a gritty Laser Run, when some spotty shooting had  briefly looked like opening the door to their rivals.

Almost 130 competitors from across 24 countries are taking part in the first global gathering of the best Modern Pentathlon athletes at the Under 19 and Under 17 grade since 2019. The UIPM 2021 Youth World Championships (U19 and U17) will roll on Wednesday with two sets of medals up for grabs in the U17 Women’s individual Final and the U19 Mixed Relay. 

 

Winners’ reaction

Gold medalist Malak Ismail (EGY) said: “I feel really proud of what we did today. Competing in the last lap was very hard for me. My shooting was not really good. I ran after the Russian team and tried to save my power to make a great finish and we did it. Our great support is here. Our parents, teammates and friends are here. So it’s a good thing to win this gold medal in our home.”

Her teammate Amira Kandil (EGY) said: “It feels so good. Today this competition was amazing. And I have an amazing teammate in Malak Ismail. It was so hard today but it’s a very good finish.”

 

Swimming

Again it was a case of the host nation showing their prowess from the very outset as Ismail and Kandil (EGY) blew away the rest of the field in the first event of the day. The duo finished almost three seconds ahead of second-placed Hungarian pair of Dobronyl and Marschall in the pool in a time of 2:02.30. Turkey’s Ebrar Calikan and Aysen Bensu Gul were third in 2:05.30.

Fencing

Russia hadn’t been very far behind the top three in the pool and when action moved on to the piste, Soloveva and Sazonova forged into medal contention. They recorded a whopping 37 wins in the Fencing, three more than any of their fellow competitors. Dobronyl and Marschall (HUN) were next best with 34 victories, one more than Ismail and Kandil (EGY). Meanwhile the German duo of Spletzer and Waltermann and Mexico’s Brenda Huerta and Jade Diaz were also  in good form on the piste, rounding out the top five. 

Laser Run

It was all set for a mouth-watering showdown between the top three in the Laser Run but Dobronyl and Marschall (HUN) struggled under the pressure which left the crowds with a straight head-to-head between Egypt and Russia for top spot on the podium.

Ismail and Kandil (EGY) dug deep and finished with the fastest time of all, 12:19.20, a full 13 seconds clear of  Soloveva and Sazonova (RUS), enough to propel the host nation to the top of the medal table as the competition kicks on. 

France enjoyed a stellar Laser Run with Cazaly Louison and Morgane Sauvy enjoying some sharp shooting and clocking the second-fastest time in the round, 12:23.10.

UIPM reaction

UIPM Treasurer John Helmick (USA) said: “The organizers in Alexandria (EGY) have done a wonderful job of creating an excellent venue, ambience and environment for our Under 17 and Under 19 World Championships. The facilities are exceptionally well presented and the organizing of the competition has so far been superb.”  

 

Watch and follow

The UIPM 2021 Youth World Championships (U19 and U17) in Alexandria (EGY) runs from September 13 to September 19.

Visit the UIPM website or download “UIPM Central” from your app store to keep track of live results throughout the UIPM 2021 Youth World Championships (U19 and U17).

Follow World Pentathlon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, VK or Weibo throughout the season for additional content.

 

Competition schedule

UIPM 2021 Youth World Championships (U19 and U17)

September 15: U17 Women’s Final; U19 Mixed Relay

September 16: U17 Men’s Final

September 17: U17 Women’s Relay

September 18: U17 Men’s Relay; U19 Women’s Final

September 19: U17 Mixed Relay; U19 Men’s Final

Upcoming events