UIPM 2026 Pentathlon U17 World Championships: Kantor (HUN) chases down gold in Men’s Final
Hungary may not be particularly short of great male competitors but they can now certainly add Benedek Kantor to their list of emerging talents after he stormed to a dramatic triumph in the Men’s Final at the UIPM 2026 Pentathlon U17 World Championships on Monday night.
Having just turned 16 earlier this month, Kantor (HUN) found himself on top of the world as he held firm in an exciting finish which saw compatriots Momen Abdelmgeed and Mohamed Abodakika of Egypt both push the winner hard, with just five seconds separating all three medalists in a wet and wild finish.
Hungary boast four male athletes among the Top 30 in the Men's Senior World Rankings and have a formidable pipeline too. Kantor (HUN) had given glimpses of his promise on his way up through the age grades, winning individual gold at the 2022 UIPM Laser Run World Championships in the U13 Biathle competition. Four years on he showed plenty more of that competitive edge as he topped a field of 36 finalists, representing a whopping 19 nations.
Maksym Melnik of Ukrainę had burst out of the gates by coming out on top in Fencing and then underlining that performance in Obstacle, where he was fastest of all, in a stunning 21.92sec.
Keisuke Shimura of Japan was out in front in the pool as he blitzed his rivals in a rime of 00:53.56, nearly three second faster than the rest of the field.
There were seven rivals within 30 seconds of Melnik (UKR) when the Laser Run began and it was Kantor (HUN) who made up his 10-second gap to race to the front of the field and to glory. Abdelmgeed (EGY) jumped three spots to second and teammate Abodakika (EGY) jumped five to claim bronze. The third final of a hectic day in Kaunas (LTU) saw Luis Thieke of Germany finish fourth with teammates Milan Zoltan Mitro and Botond Birta (HUN) round out the top six.
Team gold went to Egypt with Hungary taking silver and Germany bronze.
Watch and follow
The UIPM 2026 Pentathlon Junior & U17 World Championships take place from July 23-29. The remaining schedule is as follows:
Tuesday July 28
- U17 Women’s Final
- Junior Women’s Relay & Men’s Relay
Wednesday July 29
- U17 Mixed Relay
- Junior Mixed Relay
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