UIPM 2024 Pentathlon & Tetrathlon Masters World Championships: athletes savour revival of lifelong movement in Gyomro (HUN)
- New generation of champions shares 38 gold medals
- Community elects five-strong Masters Committee
- ‘It’s never too late to start Modern Pentathlon,’ says Peciak
Amid fierce rivalries, lifelong friendships were born and renewed, and new world champions were crowned across three days of sporting excellence at the UIPM 2024 Pentathlon & Tetrathlon Masters World Championships.
Athletes who had previously specialised in Laser Run, Biathle and Triathle as well as Modern Pentathlon rose to the challenge in Gyomro (HUN), showing the diversity of the modern UIPM Sports movement as one of its most popular events returned after a six-year absence.
Sixteen individual and 13 team medals were awarded, along with nine relay titles, as 100 athletes from around the world competed in Pentathlon and Tetrathlon categories 30+ to 70+. Click here to view results.
Interestingly, three athletes with origins in Laser Run, Biathle or Triathle won individual golds, Hungary duo Tamas Gajdos and Krisztina Gerhardt and Emanuel Gambini of Italy demonstrating the value of the UIPM Sports pathway in offering opportunities for lifelong competition.
Individual Modern Pentathlon
Janos Pethes (HUN) won the Men’s 70+ gold in front of a home crowd which is quite the achievement considering he was born in 1949, the 75-year-old also being oldest pentathlete taking part.
Francesco Lo Monaco (ITA) pipped Charlie Lane of Great Britain in the Laser Run by 7sec to clinch the Men’s 60+ gold.
Laser Run was another big factor in the Men’s 50+ as Jean-Christophe Perrier of France smashed the other eight pentathletes with a time of 7:44.50 giving the Frenchman more than enough points to top the podium.
Denise Silk (GBR) was the oldest women pentathlete taking part but she showed that age is but a number as the 58-year-old comfortably won the Women’s 50+ title, amassing 1522 points.
George Harrip-Allan of South Africa showed considerable prowess in the Fencing Ranking Round (28V/4D) to power to Men’s 40+ gold while the decorated Andra Novicka of Latvia delivered an impressive Laser Run time of 8:03.53 to seal Women’s 40+ gold in a field of 10 athletes.
Individual Tetrathlon
Roger Menck of Germany, 80 years young, was the oldest competitor in Gyomro (HUN) but could not overcome Aleksandr Kasatov (AIN) as the 75-year-old prevailed in the Men’s 70+ category.
The Men's 60+ proved to be one of the more competitive age groups in the Tetrathlon as under 200 points separated 1st from 10th. Gajdos (HUN) did not win any of the isolated disciplines but his consistency across Fencing, Swimming and Laser Run proved to be pivotal as he took home the gold in his home country.
Dr Barbara Oettinger (GER) showed it doesn’t matter how you start but how you finish as she beat off the competition convincingly in Swimming and Laser Run to win the Women’s 60+ gold despite having ranked last in Fencing.
The Men’s 50+ had been a tight contest all day before the Laser Run finale which saw Gambini (ITA) far outpacing the chasing pack with a time of 7:30.12.
Like his female compatriot Silk (GBR), Edward Crofton-Martin (GBR) was the oldest on the Men’s 40+ start line but his 49-year-old frame failed to hinder his performance, with superior Fencing and Laser-Run results to his peers.
Florian Gerbe (FRA) dominated the Laser Run in the Men’s 30+ race to win gold, beating the other tetrathletes by nearly 2min with a time of 6:29.94, while Vera Oettinger (GER) emulated her mother’s success as she comfortably won the Women’s 30+ title.
Relays
It was fitting that a mother-and-daughter combination brought a weekend of family-friendly competition to an end on the final day of competition on 16 September, as the Oettingers (GER) succeeded in winning the Tetrathlon 30+ Relay title. There was another gold medal for Perrier (FRA) alongside Jocelyn Laporte (FRA) in the men’s equivalent while Ukraine duo Mila Nikolaienko and Stanislav Koval claimed mixed gold.
In the Pentathlon 30+ category, Silk teamed up with British team-mate Sophia Saudo for more golden glory while the men’s title went to Hungarians Peter Szekeres and Roland Kamany and Greece siblings Katalin and Peter Partics became mixed relay champions.
There were also three relays in the 60+ category, where gold medals ended in the hands of Hungary via Gajdos and Csaba Erdos (Men’s Tetrathlon), Attila Csikos and Gyorgy Miko (Men’s Pentathlon) and Sylvie and Didier Fabre (Mixed Tetrathlon).
Champions’ reaction
Tamas Gajdos (HUN), Tetrathlon Men’s 60+ gold medallist, said: “I really enjoyed this World Championships. It was my first real Pentathlon race, because I started to practise Laser Run five years ago when the Pentathlon World Championships were here in Hungary.
“Thanks for all the UIPM and the Hungarian Federation officials and my club, the TRION-SC, who gave this place up for the weekend. Gyomro is a nice city and it was a really nice place for this World Championships.
“I enjoyed it. Next year I will start to ride the horse and try the Pentathlon too.”
Andra Novicka (LAT), Women’s 40+ Pentathlon gold medallist, said: “The Modern Pentathlon World Championships returned after six years, and I was happy to participate in this event!
“Despite the rainy weather, the atmosphere was truly warm and friendly. All the athletes showed incredible determination to win, and the support from the fans inspired us to fight until the very end.
“It was great to see familiar faces again and feel the spirit of unity that was present throughout the competition. This championship gave me a lot of emotions and left unforgettable memories that I will cherish for a long time.”
George Harrop-Allin (RSA), Men’s 40+ Pentathlon gold medallist, said: “Thank you to Hungary and the Hungarian Modern Pentathlon Association for a wonderful competition. It was so special to win this world championships in a country with such a rich heritage in Modern Pentathlon.
“I was fortunate to have a fantastic Fencing round and a beautiful horse. I thank you all and what a wonderful time.”
Ahmed Abouelmagd (EGY), Men’s 30+ Tetrathlon gold medallist, said: “I am very happy to have participated in the competition in Hungary, it was very hard but I had lots of fun and enjoyed a friendly atmosphere in the Masters community.
“I want to thank all the athletes participating in this Masters World Championship, they showed a lot of camaraderie and it was a joyful event.”
Denise Silk (GBR), Women’s Pentathlon 50+ gold medallist, said: “I am delighted to have won my category at the World Championships in Hungary.
“Competitions like these take a huge amount of organising and we are thankful for the efforts of the UIPM and the Hungarian team. The Masters have become a wonderful family of competitors and friends.
“I have personally benefited from seeing so many others join me in the Masters Pentathlon journey.”
UIPM reaction
UIPM President Dr Klaus Schormann said: “I was delighted to hear about the success of the UIPM 2024 Masters World Championships, following the revival of the event by dedicated community members. The UIPM Masters movement has come a long way since I founded it together with Ernst Burn.
“On behalf of the Executive Board I am pleased to hear that a new Masters Committee has been elected. The Masters, like our Youth and Junior movements, are vital in showcasing the various age groups that the UIPM supports and nurtures – all combining to echo the message that Modern Pentathlon is for life.”
Janusz Peciak OLY, UIPM Executive Board Member for Sport and Montreal 1976 Olympic champion, said: “I’m very pleased with this Masters Word Championship. We had around 100 athletes participating from 20 countries across Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, and the level of competition was very good.
“I’m very happy with the atmosphere created by our versatile athletes and I think we will continue growing. They show courage and friendship to create a fantastic atmosphere and I’m very happy that we are organising such a competition.
“The Hungarian Federation, like always, did such a good job. Even the weather did not spoil it, because it was always raining, and it was very difficult conditioning for the athletes. But, as we know, Modern Pentathlon is the national sport in Hungary, and they have great support, and a very good facility. It was very good that kids came here to support our Masters athletes.
“I’m very pleased that also the older generation, who I remember competing with in the 60s, 70s and 80s, still participate and continue this beautiful journey and participate in Modern Pentathlon. I met here many friends who were great athletes and still compete. And also, what is very nice, I see many athletes who have never done Pentathlon before and now participate and just start this sport, so it's never too late.”
Masters Committee Elections
Members of the Masters community gathered on the evening of September 14 to elect a new five-strong UIPM Masters Committee, comprising:
- Nathalie Denoyes (FRA)
- Emanuel Gambini (ITA)
- Krisztina Gerhardt (HUN)
- Antonio Sanchez Paraja (ESP)
- George Harrop-Allin (RSA)
Follow the action
The UIPM 2024 Pentathlon and Tetrathlon Masters World Championships has now concluded and the next competition on the calendar is the UIPM 2024 Pentathlon U19 World Championships in Druskininkai (LTU) from September 23-29.
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