STORY: Pentathlon Junior World Championships conclude, Egypt on top of medal table
SHOOTING TIME: July 1, 2024
DATELINE: July 2, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:46
LOCATION: ALEXANDRIA, Egypt
CATEGORY: SPORTS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the UIPM 2024 Pentathlon Junior World Championships
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): SHERIF EL-ERIAN, UIPM Vice President and head of Egyptian Modern Pentathlon Federation

STORYLINE:

France spoiled Egypt's farewell party as Louison Cazaly and Diego Lavillat won gold in the Mixed Relay on the final day of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) 2024 Pentathlon Junior World Championships held in Alexandria, Egypt.
   
Although France managed to snatch the gold medal in the Mixed Relay, Egypt finished on top of the competition medal table, thanks to three gold medals, a silver, and two bronze.
   
Cazaly and Lavillat trailed behind Farida Khalil and Mazen Shaban of Egypt in the first three disciplines, but a strong performance in the laser run secured them the world title. Poor shooting from the Egyptians in the final lap allowed Esther Fernandez Donda and Tim Leh of Germany to overtake them for silver, leaving the host nation with bronze.
   
Like last year's competition, South Korea missed out on a Mixed Relay medal, finishing 4th, while Hungary came 5th and Italy 6th.
   
This victory capped a successful week for Cazaly, who also secured her second gold as part of the Women's Team champions 24 hours earlier.
   
On Saturday, Pentathlon athletes Individual Neutral Athlete Viktoriia Sazonova and Moutaz Mohamed of Egypt made lifetime memories by winning their first junior individual gold medals in the Junior World Championships.
   
Sazonova and 13-year-old sensation Farida Khalil of Egypt set world records on their way to a duel at the top of the Women's Final leaderboard. Sazonova broke the Junior Fencing record with 30 victories, while Khalil set a new Obstacle record and became the youngest medallist in Junior World Championships history, taking bronze. Individual Neutral Athlete Elizaveta Skudnyakova secured silver behind her teammate.
   
France won the Women's Team gold medal, with three of their athletes finishing in the top 20, ahead of silver medallists Switzerland and bronze medallists Poland.
   
In the men's competition, Mohamed of Egypt earned 1,544 points to win gold. He earned six bonus points in his second-place Fencing performance and maintained a strong position in swimming, with obstacle being his only discipline outside the top five. Egypt's consistent high performance throughout the day secured them the Men's Team gold, with silver medallists Ukraine and bronze medallists Germany trailing behind.
   
"I'm really happy to win a gold medal in my home country in the presence of my family," Mohamed told Xinhua after the contest. He noted that the competition was challenging due to the high caliber of athletes, adding that he prepared well to win a medal in this championship.
   
Meanwhile, Sherif El-Erian, UIPM Vice President and Head of the Egyptian Modern Pentathlon Federation, praised the hard work of Egyptian athletes in securing the maximum number of medals in this championship. 

SOUNDBITE (Arabic): SHERIF EL-ERIAN, UIPM Vice President and head of Egyptian Modern Pentathlon Federation
"We are now preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympics. We wish success to all the participating Egyptian athletes, including those in the modern pentathlon. The Egyptian delegation is the largest in the country's history. We hope to win the most medals ever."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Alexandria, Egypt.
(XHTV)