Egypt shines bright in Lithuania!

The Egyptians dominated the men’s, mix and team competitions at the Kaunas 2024 FISU World University Championships Modern Pentathlon. Lithuania, Poland, Hungary and Italy also brought back medals.

The host nation started the festivities with a bang as Elzė Adomaitytė of Lithuania delivered an outstanding performance, clinching the gold medal of the individual women’s event with her superior speed and precise shooting.

Adomaitytė’s dominance was evident as she pulled ahead in the second lap and maintained her lead, leaving her competitors, Poland’s Maja Biernacka and Mat Gorzata Karbownik, nearly a minute behind. Despite the strong showing from the Polish athletes in the earlier OD race, Adomaitytė’s decisive breakaway in the final lap of laser run secured her victory.

Great teammates yet opponents

The men’s final was marked by a dramatic finish between two Egyptian athletes, Moetaz Abouelyazid and Moustafa Abouamer. The duo went head-to-head in a nail-biting race that was decided only at the finish line, with Abouelyazid edging out his compatriot to claim the gold medal. Italy’s Emanuele Tromboni secured the bronze, showcasing an impressive time of 00:23:75 in the OD race, which was only surpassed by Abouamer’s even faster time. However, Abouelyazid’s exceptional performance in the shooting phase ultimately earned him the top spot on the podium.

Running, shooting and climbing

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Gold medalist Elzė Adomaitytė expressed her delight after her victory: “I’m so happy to have won here in Kaunas. Competing in just the OD race and laser run was so much fun. I enjoyed every moment. Thank you to the organisers for making this event happen.”
Maja Biernacka, who took the silver medal in the women’s event, spoke about her accomplishment despite the absence of her strongest pentathlon events: “Fencing and swimming are usually my strongest events, so I’m thrilled to have won silver without them. I had something to prove to myself, and I did.”

Gold medallist Moetaz Abouelyazid shared his pride: “I’m really happy to add this medal to my collection. It’s a great honour to become a student champion in modern pentathlon.”
Silver medallist Moustafa Abouamer expressed his satisfaction with his performance: “It’s such a joy to win second place. I took some time off from pentathlon competitions, and I’m so happy that I can still compete at the same level as my teammates, who are incredibly strong competitors.”
Emanuele Tromboni of Italy, who also made it to the podium, commented on the format of the event: “Competing in the OD race and laser run is a lot of fun, but I do miss fencing and swimming.”

Exciting Mixed Team format

The FISU World University Championship Modern Pentathlon Mixed Team competition in Kaunas showcased a thrilling display of skill and strategy. Egypt emerged as the dominant force, securing both the gold and bronze medals, while Lithuania claimed the silver.

The Mixed Team format, unique to the University Championships, allows each team, composed of one female and one male athlete, to make tactical decisions on which disciplines they will compete in. This format adds a layer of strategy to the competition, as each team must carefully decide how to allocate their strengths.

In Kaunas, most teams chose to have their female athletes compete in the Obstacle Course Race (OCR). However, the Italian team made a bold choice by selecting male athlete Mattia Rinaudo for the OCR. His exceptional performance, clocking in at 00:25.55, was the fastest time of the day, giving his teammate Alice Rinaudo a 12 second advantage in the laser run.

Egypt’s Zeina Amer also delivered an impressive performance in the OCR, finishing with the second-best time of 00:31.50. Her partner, Moetaz Abouelyazid, known for his strong running skills, started the laser run in second place. The Polish team of Maciej Klimek and Małgorzata Karbownik secured the third starting position in the laser run.

The laser run saw intense competition, particularly between Egypt’s Moetaz Abouelyazid and Lithuania’s Titas Puronas. Titas, led shooting portions, exiting the range first almost all the time. However, Moetaz’s speed on the course allowed him to regain the lead, ultimately securing the gold medal for Egypt.

Moetaz Abouelyazid, who secured his second gold medal in this competition, commented, “In the OCR race, men and women can manage very similar times. Zeina was superb today—she had a time of 31 seconds, and yesterday I had 30 seconds. I was very happy to compete only in the laser run, which is truly my strongest discipline.”

Lithuania took home the silver, with Titas Puronas delivering a commendable performance on home soil. “I am so happy to compete and win silver in my home arena. Maybe it was the support from the audience, or maybe it was just a very good day, but I have never shot better than today. And I am incredibly proud of my teammate, Anastasija Kancytė, who was very fast in the OCR race.”

The bronze medal was claimed by another Egyptian team, consisting of Sally Ismail and Moustafa Abouamer. Starting the laser run in sixth place, they steadily moved up the ranks to finish third. “This new format is very beneficial for our team, they admitted. We had so much fun while competing!”

The Kaunas 2024 FISU World University Championships Modern Pentathlon concluded with an exciting Mixed Relay competition. Ten teams from Egypt, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, and Poland participated in the event. 

Despite an unexpected setback, team Egypt emerged victorious. Yesterday evening, Egypt’s second team had to withdraw due to an injury, but this did not stop the country from securing another gold medal. The Egyptian duo, Zeina Amer and Moustafa Abouamer, showcased outstanding performances, particularly in the OCR race, where they clocked a time of 00:55.10, and in the laser run, finishing in 12:59.98. Leading the race from start to finish, they claimed the title of student Mixed Relay champions. 

“You don’t have to choose between studies and sports, confirms Moustafa Abouamar. It is absolutely possible to balance one and the other! Sports teach you incredible time management, which helps in your studies, and they shape you into a person of integrity.” 

Results

Individual Race

Women:
1. Elzbieta Adomaitytė (LTU)
2. Maja Biernacka (POL)
3. Malgorzata Karbownik (POL)

Men:
1. Moetaz Abouelyazid (EGY)
2. Moustafa Abouamer (EGY)
3. Emanuele Tromboni (ITA)

Mixed Relay:
1. Zeina Amer/ Moustafa Abouamer (EGY)
2. Malgorzata Karbownik/ Maciej Klimek (POL)
3. Noémi Eszes/ Zsombor Tarkanyi (HUN)

Team Relay:

1. Zeina Amer/Moetaz Abouelyazid (EGY 1)
2. Anastasija Kancyte/Titas Puronas (LTU)
3. Sally Ismail/Moustafa Abouamer (EGY 2)

You can find the detailed results and many more pictures on the event’s official website. Congratulations to all the participants, volunteers and organising committee members for a really successful event!

Written by Thérèse Courvoisier, photos courtesy of the organising committee