UIPM 2023 U19 World Championships: All you need to know

• Shin (KOR) tops billing as athletes from 35 nations gather in Istanbul (TUR)
• Obstacle dawn enables U19s to compete in first full Pentathlon at global level
• Will U17s coming fresh from Alexandria (EGY) have the edge?

After a successful debut in Alexandria (EGY), the new format of Modern Pentathlon will take another step towards full implementation at this week’s UIPM 2023 U19 World Championships.

And with the list of registered athletes comprising 35 nations, from across the six continental Modern Pentathlon confederations, another milestone competition beckons.

Numerous athletes who took part in the U17 competition earlier in July – becoming the first from that age group ever to compete for world titles in a five-discipline Pentathlon – will join their elders in Istanbul (TUR) as the new Obstacle discipline continues to revolutionise the sport.

The four-discipline Tetrathlon format (Fencing/Swimming/Laser Run) was previously in place at youth level. But now, thanks to the integration of Obstacle, next-generation athletes now have the chance to pursue world titles in the new sequence of Fencing/Obstacle/Swimming/Laser Run that will be adopted at all levels of Modern Pentathlon after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Six days of action begin today with the Women’s Relay and Men’s Relay, culminating with the individual Finals on Saturday (July 29) and Mixed Relay on Sunday (July 30).

One of the athletes to watch will undoubtedly be Sumin Shin of Korea, who won the U17/U19 Women’s Individual double last year. Her main rival might be Blanka Bauer of Hungary, fresh from three top-20 finishes in the UIPM 2023 Pentathlon World Cup and a Mixed Relay bronze medal in the Final in Ankara (TUR). Farida Khalil of Egypt was the undoubted starlet of the recent U17 World Championships and might be a contender.

On the men’s side, Nojus Chmieliauskas of Lithuania won U19 Men’s Relay gold last year while U17 silver medallist Bartosz Szmytke of Poland stood out in Alexandria (EGY) especially as a Swimming powerhouse. There are several other U17 athletes such as team-mates Tarek Sadek (EGY) and Mohamed Hassan (EGY) whose experience competing over Obstacles at global level might support their medal credentials.

President’s welcome

UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann said: “This week in Istanbul I am delighted that our next generation of athletes will have the opportunity to make history by competing in a full Pentathlon based on the integration of Obstacle into our historic Olympic multi-sport.

“This season we have seen the introduction of this exciting new Modern Pentathlon format at national and continental levels, and now it becomes a feature of our unique sport on a global scale. The future is bright for these U19 athletes and for our entire movement!

“The UIPM 2023 U19 World Championships is a very important competition for the development of our movement and we can always depend on our hosts in Türkiye to organise an excellent competition with high-level sports and event hospitality. Already this season Ankara hosted the UIPM Pentathlon World Cup and Pentathlon World Cup Final, and we never forget the people who lost family members and friends in the terrible earthquake earlier in 2023.

“My thanks go to the Local Organising Committee led by Turkish Modern Pentathlon Federation President Dr Veli Ozan Cakir, the National Olympic Committee, Government partners and everyone involved in making this week’s competition possible.

“Within our movement we are always looking to the future and taking care of the next generations. That is why the new Obstacle discipline is being introduced in 2023, giving young athletes as much time as possible to adapt in time for Los Angeles 2028.”

Watch and follow

The UIPM 2023 U19 World Championships runs from July 25-30, beginning on Tuesday, July 25 with the Women’s Relay and Men’s Relay.

The Women’s Individual Qualification follows on July 26, with the Men’s Individual Qualification on July 27. Thirty-six female and 36 male athletes then compete in the Fencing Ranking Round on July 28 before completing the Individual Finals on July 29. The Mixed Relay closes the competition on July 30.

Visit the UIPM website or download “UIPM Central” from your app store to keep track of live results throughout the UIPM 2023 U19 World Championships.

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

About UIPM

UIPM (the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne) has governed the core Olympic sport of Modern Pentathlon since its formation in 1948. Today it oversees a range of multi-discipline sports (Tetrathlon, Triathle, Biathle, Laser Run and Obstacle Laser Run) which form a development pyramid with Modern Pentathlon at the top. In November 2022, UIPM Congress voted to introduce Obstacle to the UIPM Statutes and Competition Rules, creating a new discipline alongside the established disciplines of Fencing, Riding, Swimming, Laser Shooting and Running (the last two of which are combined to form Laser Run).