UIPM 2025 Biathle-Triathle World Championships: Double helping of gold for Fernandez (FRA) and Dallenbach (SUI)

Olympic pentathlete Alexandre Dallenbach of Switzerland and beach multisport specialist Lea Fernandez of France doubled up on the fourth day of the UIPM 2025 Biathle-Triathle World Champiponships in Mossel Bay (RSA), adding Triathle gold to the individual Biathle titles won 48 hours previously.

Fernandez (FRA), 25, again showed the field how it was done in the Swim-Run-Shoot sequence, winning gold by three-quarters of a minute from silver medallist Julia Dale of Monaco, with Olympia Painesi of Greece claiming bronze - the Europeans denying host nation South Africa the podium joy they enjoyed across so many other age categories. 

It was a similar story in the Men's Final, though Dylan Matthew Kruger (RSA) broke up the European party with a silver that got the best out of 35-year-old Paris 2024 Olympian Dallenbach (SUI), who prevailed by a winning margin of 19sec. Another of last year's Olympians, Todor Mihalev of Bulgaria, took home the bronze. 

The day had started with a stunning photo finish between Under 11 rivals Hilton Vos (RSA) and Ahmed Gad Allah (EGY), with the local athlete declared winner by 0.01sec. The Egyptians hit back, winning golds at U11 and U13 and then taking the U15 individual double thanks to Ghazl Mahmoud (EGY) and her team-mate Abdallah Abdallah (EGY).

Jessica Mathysen (RSA) was a convincing champion at U17 alongside Daniel Grove (RSA) on the men's side, and the local takeover continued as Stefan Hillebrand (RSA) and Megan Kleynhans took the honours at U19 level.

Into the Juniors and Mia Botha (RSA) did enough to fend off the challenge of Bhumi Agrawal of India, women's silver medallist, and there was a European shake-up of the medals table in a Men's Junior Final won strongly by top-30 pentathlete Giorgi Tskhadadze of Georgia. He was joined on the podium by Stefan Barenthaler of Austria and Athanasios Spantourous of Greece.  

Masters and Para Triathle champions were also crowned on the fourth day of an unforgettable combined World Championships. The action now switches to Laser Run for the final two days.