The first event on the program was the women’s relay, in which Mariya Gnedtchik and Anastasiya Arol claimed gold. After three disciplines (fencing, obstacle race and swimming) the Belarusian duo were in second place, 17 seconds behind the Egyptian team. However, during the laser-run, they managed to close the gap and finished with a lead of nearly half a minute over their rivals. The women’s relay silver went to Russia’s Viktoria Sazonova and Yana Solovyova and the bronze medal -to the pentathletes from Hungary.

Gnedtchik and Arol won the worlds gold for the first time in their careers. Earlier in August, the Belarusian duo had secured medals at the European championships.

The UIPM 2026 Pentathlon World Championships in China will continue with the men’s and mixed relays, with the individual finals scheduled for 30 August.