UIPM 2025 Pentathlon World Championships: Finals report, reaction and links
- Senior world title completes 2025 quadruple for 14-year-old phenomenon
- Khalil (EGY) and Mohamed (EGY) become Africa’s first individual world champions
- Medals for Guzi (HUN), Rochat (FRA), Tognetti (ITA) and Lukes (CZE)
A dream season for Egypt culminated in a double success at the UIPM 2025 Pentathlon World Championships as Farida Khalil and Moutaz Mohamed became the first African pentathletes to wear the individual crown.
For the third competition in succession, the young duo proved untouchable even under searching pressure from the finest athletes across Europe and Asia. Incredibly, Khalil (EGY) and Mohamed (EGY) have annexed the Junior World Championships, Pentathlon World Cup Final and Pentathlon World Championships gold medals in a dizzying sequence of success.
The achievement of Khalil (EGY) is especially stratospheric. The phenomenal 14-year-old is now world champion across four age groups, an unprecedented feat that will go down in history as the ‘Farida Slam’ – and she also won two golds and a silver in the Pentathlon World Cup regular season.
One of Europe’s leading basketball venues, Zalgiris Arena, became a Pentathlon Arena for the week and thousands of spectators enjoyed a spectacle of music and light and exquisite sporting drama in the form of a redefined multisport.
There were individual medals for Hungary, France, Italy and Czechia as well as team medals for Ukraine and Great Britain.
- Click here to view photography from the Finals
Mohamed (EGY) made exciting progress in 2024 but didn’t manage to secure a place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where Ahmed Elgendy (EGY) won gold. Since then the 20-year-old Laser Run specialist has bolted forward, attaining world No.1 status with a series of thrilling victories. This time he came from behind to storm to gold by 17sec from 2023 junior world champion Mathis Rochat (FRA), with Matej Lukes (CZE) moving through the field to secure bronze.
- Click here to read the Men’s Final report
Khalil (EGY) continues to leave rivals scratching their heads at how she can possibly be so prolific and consistent across a five-discipline sport that requires technical skill, strength and speed, stamina and deep mental strength. Victory was never really in doubt after she started Laser Run with a 26sec lead, and this time she finished 12sec clear of the pack. Blanka Guzi (HUN) earned a second successive world silver medal and Aurora Tognetti (ITA) capped a fine season with her first major bronze.
- Click here to read the Women’s Final report
Medallist reaction
Women’s gold medallist Khalil (EGY) said: “It’s like I’m dreaming now. It was a very tough season and I got four World Cup medals, three of them gold including the World Cup Final, and then the World Championships.
“It took a lot of effort to get to this point, and I feel wow now. For all viewers around the world, anyone who has any dream, they can do it. Nothing is impossible; anything can be done.”
Women’s silver medallist Guzi (HUN) said: “I was here, mentally – that was the key, I think. After Fencing, I wasn’t in a good position but I believed in myself during the OCR, Swimming and Laser Run, and I just concentrated on myself, not the other ones. That was the key.
“It was the 10th competition of the year for me, and the goal was to participate in many competitions to get to know the OCR and to achieve many OCR courses in this discipline. But I wanted to also focus on Swimming.”
Women’s bronze medallist Tognetti (ITA) said: “I don’t know what to say. Every day I worked for this, and I never gave up. The location and the people are fantastic.
“Hi Mom, hi Dad – I’m the 3rd in the world!”
Men’s gold medallist Mohamed (EGY) said: “It feels great to win again. Three gold medals in a row. For me it was a lot of hard work with my team, family and friends.
“All the pain and all the hard work, it was worth it. It’s not just about the Fencing, but I lost my first match in the Top 16 at the Juniors and World Cup Final, and today I was in the Top 4 and that was amazing. It required a lot of hard work and I made it.
“First, I’m grateful for all the crowd here – it’s amazing that all of these people are coming to watch Modern pentathlon and supporting us as athletes. Thank you guys!
“I want to say thank you to my family, my coaches, my friends. Being here with you all is sensational, I’m very happy.”
Men’s silver medallist Rochat (FRA) said: “I don’t know what to say because it was like a dream for me today. All the different disciplines went so well. Fencing, Obstacle … in Swimming I felt good and then it was one of the best shoots of my life.
“Here in Kaunas, it is on fire. I didn’t expect so many people to come and watch our little sport, and it’s so much emotion with a lot of French people who came here for the event and I know my family is watching.
“I’m so happy to have a silver medal at the World Championships. To celebrate this medal I think I will join my family and go to the beaches. I would like to thank my sponsor, Simmons & Simmons, and everybody who is supporting me.”
Men’s bronze medallist Lukes (CZE) said: “It’s a much better feeling than in Egypt [Pentathlon World Cup Final], I enjoyed this more and this crowd was amazing. I don’t have much more to say.”
“After the third shooting I had a comfortable pillow at my back, to James Hulme, but I still had to focus on my fourth shooting because my shooting is not good every time. And it happened – I don’t believe it, bronze at the World Championships.
“I have too many people to thank, all of my friends and my coaches, and I hope my father was able to watch this. This success is dedicated to him.”
President’s reaction
UIPM President Rob Stull OLY said: “The local organising committee and the competition team set a very high bar for themselves and they exceeded it. This is one of the best World Championships UIPM has seen in many years and I am in awe of the achievements of our athletes throughout the week.
“It was an amazing debut of the arena format at a World Championships. Building on the success of Budapest, Lithuania took it to an entirely different level. Athletes, coaches, staff and spectators had a thoroughly enjoyable experience on the first stop on the road to Los Angeles 2028.”
Watch and follow
The UIPM 2025 Pentathlon World Championships has now concluded but the action continues with the inaugural UIPM Obstacle World Championships (OCR) in Beijing (CHN) from October 21-26, followed by the UIPM 2025 Biathle-Triathle and Laser Run World Championships in Mossel Bay (RSA) from December 8-13.
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