UIPM 2025 Pentathlon World Cup Final: Finals report, reaction and links
- Another golden milestone for irrepressible 14-year-old Khalil (EGY)
- Mohamed (EGY) doubles up to make nation first to win both World Cup Final golds
- Medals for Seong (KOR), Lukes (CZE), Guzi (HUN) and Fleurot (FRA)
For the second week in succession, Farida Khalil and Moutaz Mohamed lifted Egypt to the very top of the Pentathlon world, confirming their status as five-discipline superstars with sublime individual victories at the UIPM 2025 Pentathlon World Cup Final.
Crowned last week as junior world champions, this was another step up and the young duo from North Africa owned another Super Sunday with irresistible performances across the disciplines. For both athletes, aged 14 and 20 respectively, it was a debut success at this level and their combined efforts wrote Egypt into history as the first nation to win both individual gold medals at a Pentathlon World Cup Final.
- Click here to view photography from the Finals
Khalil (EGY) is no longer a star on the rise, she inhabits a planet in the galaxy that everybody else wants to reach in pursuit of mastery in the new Pentathlon. Wearing an LA28 wristband in a nod to her Olympic dream, the teenage phenomenon won her fourth title of the season by almost half a minute from Paris 2024 Olympic Games bronze medallist and reigning world champion Seungmin Seong of Korea, with Blanka Guzi of Hungary taking a hard-earned bronze.
- Click here to read the Women’s Final report
In the afternoon, Mohamed (EGY) had to work harder than Khalil (EGY) in a Laser Run that he started in 4th place, 23sec off the lead. But this is a default position for an athlete who excels in coming from behind, and by the halfway point the local hero was in front, eventually winning by 9sec from first-time medallist Matej Lukes of Czechia, who overtook a tiring Ugo Fleurot of France to turn bronze into silver.
- Click here to read the Men’s Final report
Medallist reaction
Women’s gold medallist Khalil (EGY) said: “The best discipline for me is the OCR, and I got the record time in this competition. The secret to my confidence is to take each Obstacle one by one, and if there is a problem I have to solve it by myself. I like to get better every time.
“I thank all my family and friends who kept supporting me, even after the Fencing, they kept supporting me until the finish to get the gold medal, and I got it.”
Women’s silver medallist Seong (KOR) said: “In Alexandria the weather is very hot, which can be a problem, but my style is to run a fast time [in any conditions]. In the Semi-final my shooting was a little bit missing, but today my focus was amazing so I’m very happy.
“At the end of the Paris Olympic Games, we started training for Obstacle so I’ve only experienced it for six or seven months. My Obstacle is a little bit bad, but I try again every day in training. Sometimes it’s hard on my hands but it will be OK. In each competition I get better Obstacle times.”
Women’s bronze medallist Guzi (HUN) said: “I’m extremely happy because I started in good form, but I didn’t how I would manage the heat of the sun. I just focused on what’s inside and bringing it out, and I didn’t think about the rankings and which position I could reach. That was the key, I think.
“I really hope I can improve my performance because the World Championships will be at the end of August, and maybe I will have the European Championships in Madrid at the end of July. It’s not so far and I have to maintain this form, I think.”
Men’s gold medallist Mohamed (EGY) said: “If you want to know what is my motivation, you should look up in the stands right there and see my family, my friends. They are the most incredible thing in this competition and that’s what helped me today.
“I am really happy, I really can’t express how I’m feeling but I’m over the moon.
“It was very difficult and challenging after changing from horse riding to OCR. A very different and challenging experience. But as a modern pentathlete, you have to adapt, so I tried to adapt minute by minute, and every competition gave me the courage to do better in the next one. I managed to be an average or a great athlete in OCR, and today I did a great time in the OCR.”
Men’s silver medallist Lukes (CZE) said: “I just ran – my legs were empty, my head was empty and I just ran. I don’t know if I will start in the Relay World Championships, but after that we have European Championships in Madrid so that’s the next goal.
“It’s really hard for those of us who last year were doing horse riding. For me it’s a big change and in November I had six weeks of no training. So, really hard for me. But today I made three big mistakes, so I don’t understand why I was starting 3rd. Fencing was not good for me, also the Swimming, and I haven’t seen my time but I guess the run was good for me. I don’t understand how I made it.”
Men’s bronze medallist Fleurot (FRA) said: “It means a lot – a year of dedication after the 2024 Olympics. It was a lot of training, I knew I was capable of doing that kind of performance and I just had to refocus mentally.
“It was a very hard day because I was in difficult shape, with a lot of stomach ache in the first lap of the run. I tried to manage my shooting to not push too much in running, and I’m very happy with my performance today.
“I will have two days’ break, but I am now focused on European and World Championships. It’s still two more competitions, two more goals, and I want to be consistent and be on the podium at each competition. That’s what I train for.”
UIPM reaction
UIPM President Rob Stull OLY said: “The 2025 Pentathlon World Cup Final in Alexandria marks the end of the first World Cup series with our new 5th discipline, Ninja-style Obstacle racing, now fully embedded for elite senior athletes.
“The top male and female athletes from the 2025 series came here to Alexandria, Egypt to vie for the title of Pentathlon World Cup champion. The Egyptian organizers did not disappoint and met all of UIPM’s expectations.
“With Farida Khalil taking the women’s gold this morning, we all hope to see a showdown at the UIPM Pentathlon World Championships in Kaunas next month between the young superstar and the Olympic champion, Michelle Gulyas of Hungary.
“The Men’s Final did not disappoint in this amazing oasis of a venue next to the sea in Alexandria! What an incredible performance by Moutaz Mohamed to win gold and set another new world record, and it was great to see more new faces emerging as the potential stars of this LA28 Olympic cycle. The future is bright.”
Watch and follow
The UIPM 2025 Pentathlon World Cup Final has now concluded but the action continues with the inaugural UIPM 2025 Pentathlon Relay World Championships in Alexandria (EGY) from July 8-13, followed by the UIPM 2025 Pentathlon U17 World Championships in Johannesburg (RSA) from July 17-20.
Have you got the app? Download UIPM Central via Apple or Google to keep track of the latest news and results – or visit the UIPM website.
Follow UIPM / World Pentathlon on your favourite social media throughout the season for more content:
Upcoming events
