UIPM 2026 Pentathlon World Championships: Lukes (CZE), Seo (KOR) and Egyptians dominate Men’s Semi-finals
· World No.1 Lukes (CZE) impresses alongside El Ashqar (EGY)
· Reigning champion Mohamed (EGY) in typical winning comeback
· Egypt qualify four athletes for Super Sunday; France and Russia three each
The cream of Pentathlon is rising to the top just in time for a Super Sunday Men’s Final that is destined to be a cross-continental clash of titans.
A pair of Semi-finals delivered awesome performances from the sport’s top-ranked men, with world No.1 Matej Lukes of Czechia allowing Mohamed El Ashqar of Egypt to join him in crossing the line first in Semi-final A, before reigning world champion Moutaz Mohamed (EGY) typically came from outside the top nine to win Semi-final B ahead of team-mate Mohanad Shaban (EGY) and Changwan Seo of Korea.
Marvin Dogue of Germany, winner of the Pentathlon World Cup and Pentathlon World Cup Final in Budapest (HUN) earlier this summer, also qualified comfortably along with European champion Egor Gromadskii of Russia, ensuring a Final that is almost impossible to predict with so many high-performing contenders, including four Egyptians and three athletes apiece from France and Russia. There is also the unpredictable element of home advantage for both Bailang Chen and Yuang Ma of China.
Semi-final A
It didn’t take long for those hard-earned Fencing seedings to be disrupted and it was the France team messing up the established order in the Top 16. Leo Bories (FRA) launched a double thrust in the final seconds to defeat top seed Woongtae Jun (KOR) 5-3, only seconds after his team-mate Ugo Fleurot (FRA) had eliminated No.2 seed Yauheni Arol of Belarus.
El Ashqar (EGY) impressed with a 5-1 demolition of Yuriy Kovalchuk of Ukraine, while No.4 seed Mohamed Hassan (EGY) overcame Fernand Mitterand (GER) 4-2.
Into the Top 8, the run of Fleurot (FRA) was ended by world No.1 Lukes (CZE), but another Franco-Czech battle went the other way with Bories (FRA) edging past Matous Tuma (CZE) 4-3.
Both Egyptian contenders reached the Top 4 but a stunning comeback from Bories (FRA) enabled him to cause another upset, recovering from 2-4 to beat Hassan (EGY) 5-4 with barely a second to spare. Lukes (CZE) then countered tidily to deny El Ashqar (EGY).
In the Top 2, Bories (FRA) continued where he had left off to seize the day with another remarkable riposte, stunning Lukes (CZE) 3-2 in the last act of the fight to claim the maximum 250 points.
Hot or humid, wet or dry, weather conditions don’t seem to affect El Ashqar (EGY), the king of the Obstacle course. Racing alongside team-mate Hassan (EGY) in the penultimate heat, the giant made light of the eight obstacles to move clear of the field with an incredible time of 18.39sec.
Hassan (EGY) was within reach of El Ashqar (EGY) until the Rings, where he lost his grip and became one of only two athletes to fault. It meant that there was a considerable 5sec gap between El Ashqar (EGY) and 2nd-fastest Pau Salomo of Spain. But amid the pack, the consistently high standard was awe-inspiring.
Displaying an increasing comfort level with Obstacle Racing, Jun (KOR) performed well in a round that ended with only 13 points separating 2nd from 17th. Lukes (CZE) symbolically won the last heat against Bories (FRA) in an impressive 24.22.
The first Swimming heat was dominated by Mitterand (GER) with a 53.91, before Jun (KOR) won a tighter second heat with a 56. Cue the arrival of El Ashqar (EGY) to extend his overall lead with a second consecutive discipline victory.
A time of 53.91 announced the leader’s intentions, although Lukes (CZE) remained highly competitive with the 3rd-fastest time of 55.70. El Ashqar (EGY) thus went into the Laser Run with an 18sec advantage over Lukes (CZE) and, more to the point, a 58sec cushion over 10th-placed Kovalchuk (UKR).
While El Ashqar (EGY) progressed serenely, the first two shoots were a struggle for Lukes (CZE) and 3rd starter Bories (FRA). In the bubble there was an immediate change as Tuma (CZE) fatally took 38sec on his first shoot. Kovalchuk (UKR) was out in 10sec, but with plenty of company.
Tim Leh (GER) soon grasped his place firmly in the top nine as Fleurot (FRA) and Jun (KOR) were drawn into the battle, along with Chen (CHN) and Kovalchuk (UKR) amid the potential of a dart from Qualification star Nolan Rosenegger of Canada.
Bories (FRA) clocked a 10sec penalty but didn’t let it faze him, and it was Hassan (EGY) at the fourth shoot who became entangled with the drama. Jun (KOR) was now sliding and Mihaly Koleszar of Hungary decisively took advantage.
At the final visit to the range, Lukes (CZE) recovered from his early issues to usurp El Ashqar (EGY) and move into the lead, and while Hassan (EGY) struggled again, he and Fleurot (FRA) left the range occupying the crucial 8th and 9th positions, with Chen (CHN) and Peter Borshchev (RUS) now comfortable ahead of them.
Perhaps to their surprise, the onslaught from Kovalchuk (UKR) never materialised and finally it was Grigory Dokuchaev (RUS) who finished 10th, 3sec out of the Final placings, with Salomo (ESP) behind him recording the best Laser Run time of 10:37.81.
Semi-final B
Two of the sport’s most celebrated athletes started the day in the worst possible way as reigning champion Mohamed (EGY) and Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Giorgio Malan of Italy were eliminated in the Top 32. Top seeds Balazs Szep (HUN) and Seo (KOR) smoothly dealt with the winners of those opening bouts in the Top 16.
An all-Chinese battle with Shuai Luo (CHN) went the way of Ma (CHN), while Shaban (EGY) looked in imperious form with a whitewash of Emilien Maire (FRA). He returned to haunt the French again in the next round with a 3-2 success over Valentin Belaud (FRA).
Also in the Top 8, Dogue (GER) took out top seed Szep in a 5-3 thriller, while Seo (KOR) dealt with Gromadskii (RUS). Ma (CHN) delighted the locals by stunning Dimitriy Tretyakov of Uzbekistan 5-4 to reach the Top 4.
A clash of titans ensued with Shaban (EGY) taking on Dogue (GER), and the unorthodoxy of the African saw him through again, featuring a deft touch to the foot. A cagey Seo (KOR) then fended off Ma (CHN). And when the two experienced Pentathlon World Cup champions met in the decider, No.2 Seo (KOR) had the priority and quickly imposed his advantage to go 2-0 up. Another foot touch from Shaban (EGY) made it 2-3 but it was too little, too late.
Racing against Malan (ITA), Mohamed (EGY) started brightly with only a slight slip at the top of the Finish Wall costing him half a second. Maksim Maruk (BLR) then blitzed the course for a 22.52. Maire (FRA) then extended that best time by a quarter-second.
Marek Grycz (CZE) stepped back to incur a fault on the Tilting Ladders, then missed the Giant Steps, to plummet down the standings before Gromadskii (RUS) won a cat-and-mouse race with Belaud (FRA).
With a few athletes struggling, the course was suddenly electrified by the hand speed and athleticism of Ma (CHN), who destroyed Dogue (GER) with a 21.87 that got the crowd going. It ended with a synchronised 23sec thriller between Shaban (EGY) and Seo (KOR), ensuring that they stayed ahead of the surging Ma (CHN) overall.
Swimming predictably tightened things up, with Mohamed (EGY) setting the pace on 54.89 to move within touching distance of the top 10. Shaban (EGY) also impressed in the third heat, a 55.05 drawing him level with Seo (KOR) overall.
Malan (ITA) and Oleksandr Tovkai (UKR) also made progress in the pool, setting up a gripping Laser Run in which Belaud (FRA), Andrey Bobrov (RUS), Szep (HUN) and Maire (FRA) all looked vulnerable around the 900-point mark with Mohamed (EGY) just a few seconds behind them.
During the race, it materialised that Bobrov (RUS) held his nerve well, shooting typically under 10sec to maintain his place. Maire (FRA) quickly dropped out of the race as Mohamed (EGY) rushed into the pack, and Belaud (FRA) appeared comfortable until suddenly choking on the final shoot. A 29sec delivery gave the two-time world champion a major scare, and it was Luo (CHN) whose incredible shooting vaulted him into 10th place.
Finally Bobrov (RUS) and Belaud (FRA) were able to keep an eye on the rush of Luo (CHN) during that fifth and final 600m where they secured their Final places.
Up front, Mohamed (EGY) did what he does best and overtook all nine of his adversaries to finish first with a Laser Run tie of 10:46.51. Seo (KOR) and Shaban (EGY) showed zero nerves while Ma (CHN), Dogue (GER), Szep (HUN) and Gromadskii (RUS) also impressed in keeping themselves out of the fight.
Watch and Follow
The UIPM 2026 Pentathlon World Championships take place from August 24-30, with livestream of the Semi-finals and Finals available to watch free on YouTube based on the following schedule (TV start times listed in Central European Summer Time):
Saturday August 29
- Women’s Semi-final A (07:00)
- Women’s Semi-final B (10:30)
Sunday August 30
- Men’s Final (07:00)
- Women’s Final (10:30)
Got the app? Download UIPM Central via Apple or Google to track what’s happening in China.
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
