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The showpiece of the Modern Pentathlon calendar, the 2011 UIPM World Championships is about to begin.
The Championships are being held in Moscow, Russia on 8-14 September 2011 where nearly 200 Pentathletes from across the globe will fight for the honour of becoming World Champion.
The 51st UIPM World Championships takes on extra significance as it also serves as a qualification event for the 2012 London Olympic Games. The top 3 athletes all obtain direct qualification for next year's Games.
The Championships will be held in the 1980 Olympic Games, 15,000 capacity indoor stadium. This is an ideal setting for a Modern Pentathlon competition as all 5 events (fence, swim, ride, shoot and run) in one location.
UIPM Secretary General Joël Bouzou: "This promises to be a very special World Championships, as Russia has such a long successful Modern Pentathlon history. This event will be very historic as it will be the first World Championships conducted with laser shooting and precision targets will be used. UIPM has the confidence that the Russian Federation will organise a World Championships that nobody will ever forget and continue the everlasting Modern Pentathlon legacy in Russia."
The large Russian crowd will be confident of yet another Russian World Champion as their 4 men will be vying for gold. Defending World Champion Sergei Karyakin will be looking to become the first man in 13 years to defend the World Championships title after Sebastian Deleigne of France who became World Champion in 1997 and 1998.
His team mates of Double Olympic Champion and current European Champion Andrei Moiseev, World #1 Aleksander Lesun and 2008 World Champion Ilia Frolov will make it tough for the World #2 to repeat his feat from the Pierre de Coubertin Modern Pentathlon Centre of last year, where Chengdu, CHN hosted the 2010 World Championships.
The trio of World #3 Pavlo Tymoshchenko (UKR), 2009 World Champion Adam Marosi (HUN) and World #7 Jinhwa Jung (KOR) will lead the charge against the strong Russian team to make sure the gold medal leaves Moscow.
With the triple World Champion Amelie Caze (FRA) succumbing to injury, the 2011 form athlete and Olympic Champion Lena Schoneborn (GER) will be the red hot favourite to win her 1st World Championships title at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium. Schoneborn who has already won the World Cup Final, and European Championships this year will see this as her best opportunity to win the only Modern Pentathlon title that eludes her and become a Modern Pentathlon immortal.
World #3 Yane Marques (BRA) and Olympic silver medallist Heather Fell (GBR) will lead the contenders to overcome Schoneborn, however they will have to be at their absolute best to beat the German superstar.
As well as individual honours, the athletes will also be battling for relay glory with a Mixed, Women and Men's relays all taking place between 12-14 September 2011. This is a chance for the nations to portray their strength in depth and for rivals to become team mates in the quest for gold.
Fans around the world will have the chance to watch these, and other great athletes and share in the excitement of Modern Pentathlon. The UIPM will broadcast the finals days live on Pentathlon TV @ pentathlon.org on 10-11 September 2011. The broadcast will feature highlights of the fencing and swimming events as well as live coverage of the riding and combined event.
Competition Schedule:
September 8 Women's Qualification
September 9 Men's Qualification
September 10 Women's Individual Final
September 11 Men's Individual Final
September 12 Mixed Relay
September 13 Women's Relay
September 14 Men's Relay
Will Karyakin repeat his extraordinary performance from the 2010 World Championships? Will Schoneborn win the only championship that eludes her? Will Marques continue her strong form in 2011? Let's see... Come and back your national heroes and visit the World Championships in Moscow, Russia or visit our website at pentathlon.org.
Keep updated with all the latest information about the event including News, Interviews and pictures from the qualification
http://pentathlon.org/competitions/wchs/world-championships
See you there
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