UIPM 2026 Pentathlon Junior World Championships: Peciulyte (LTU) and Hungarians stand out in Women’s Qualification
A junior world-record Swimming performance by Lithuania pentathlete Guste Peciulyte caught the imagination of the host nation as 36 women qualified for the Semi-finals on the opening day of the UIPM 2026 Pentathlon Junior World Championships in Kaunas (LTU).
Orsolya Varga of Hungary comfortably won Qualification Heat 1 with an 11sec margin over Zeina Amer of Egypt, with Emma Meszaros (HUN) leading a pack across the line.
One of the most decorated athletes in the competition, Coline Flavin of France, finished back in 15th despite a surging Laser Run, and will be feeling pressure to improve in the Semi-finals.
Swimming specialist Wakana Uchiyama of Japan agonisingly exited the competition after finishing 4sec behind 18th-placed Jiwoo Jeon of Korea. It was an extra-tough day for the Japanese as she was narrowly beaten to the Swimming world record (25m) by Peciulyte (LTU), whose time of 58.18sec eclipsed the 58.81 managed by Uchiyama (JPN).
Qualification Heat 2 also saw a Hungarian take the lead role as Zora Zeman (HUN) finished 5sec ahead of Jana Attia and Sarah Mohamed (EGY).
Senior Obstacle Racing world record-holder and European junior champion Florina Jurt of Switzerland lived up to her billing, finishing in the top five with her sister Katharina Jurt (SUI) ranking 8th.
Senior stars Blanka Bauer (HUN) and Malgorzata Karbownik of Poland also finished comfortably inside the top 18 but with plenty of room for improvement ahead of the Saturday Semi-finals and Monday Finals.
Watch and follow
The UIPM 2026 Pentathlon Junior & U17 World Championships take place from July 23-29, with livestream of the Junior Semi-finals and Finals available to watch free on YouTube based on the following schedule (TV times listed in Central European Summer Time):
Friday July 24
- U17 Women’s Relay
- Junior Men’s Qualification
Saturday July 25
- U17 Men’s Qualification
- Junior Women’s Semi-finals
- Semi-final A (09:00)
- Semi-final B (15:00)
Sunday July 26
- U17 Women’s Qualification
- Junior Men’s Semi-finals
- Semi-final A (09:00)
- Semi-final B (15:00)
Monday July 27
- U17 Men’s Final
- Junior Finals
- Women’s Final (09:00)
- Men’s Final (14:00)
Tuesday July 28
- U17 Women’s Final
- Junior Women’s Relay & Men’s Relay
Wednesday July 29
- U17 Mixed Relay
- Junior Mixed Relay
Got the app? Download UIPM Central via Apple or Google to track what’s happening in Lithuania.
You can also visit the UIPM website for the latest results and daily news.
Follow UIPM on your favourite social media throughout the season for more content:
Upcoming events
