The Egyptians, who claimed two gold, one silver and one bronze medal, did so mainly in the men's individual competition and the mixed relay event. In the men's individual, two players secured the first and second places respectively. Yasser Hefni took the gold medal, scoring 1,431 points, followed by teammate Sherif Rashad who had 1,426 points for a second place finish. The bronze medal went to the 2016 men's Individual world champion, France's Belau Valentine, who scored 1,421 to make it to the podium behind the two Egyptian athletes. The outstanding achievements of the Egyptian men also earned them the gold medal in the traditional team event. Hefni, Rashad and their third teammate Eslam Hamed scored a total of 4,192 points from their results at the individual competition, a collective result from which they claimed the gold medal. The Czech Republic, which comprised Svechota Ondrej, Kidl David and Bilko Martin, followed in second place in the teams event with 4,188 points while third place went to the Russian team which consisted of Naumov Oleg, Karyakin Serguei and Shugarov Ilya who scored a total points of 4,169. The Egyptian mixed team of Sondos Abu Bakr and Yasser Hefni took the bronze medal in the mixed relay competition. The Egyptian mixed team finished behind Poland and Ukraine which won the gold and silver medals. The Polish team which consisted of Swierski Jaroslaw and Nowaka Oktawia placed first with 1,373 points, while the Ukrainians Ermykina Valeriya and Pavlyuk Denys scored 1,341 points for a second place finish. The Egyptians Abu Bakr and Hefni scored 1,333 points to claim the bronze medal. “This is a great achievement for Egypt at the Military Modern Pentathlon Championships and I am so proud of my men,” said Hani Farouk, board member of the Egyptian Modern Pentathlon Federation and head of the Egypt delegation at the military event. “It was such an unforgettable moment for the whole delegation. The national flag of Egypt and the national anthem were played twice in the same day. It meant a lot to all of us. What a moment,” Farouk added. Farouk thanked the Egyptian Armed Forces for their support for the male and female Egyptian pentathletes who participated in the competition, especially head of the Sports Military Body Magdi Al-Lozi who he said had provided the team with all required facilities. Farouk also thanked the Egyptian Modern Pentathlon Federation's president Sherif Al-Erian “for nurturing the athletes for years and years until they reached such a distinguished level of performance to lead the podium at this year's Military World Championship”. Al-Erian praised the achievement of the Egyptian pentathletes for their performance and “astounding results which has made the Egyptian people so happy and proud. We are really proud of our athletes and their world-class performance. We appreciate their effort especially that all of them, with the exception of Hefni and Hamed, had participated at the World Juniors Championships which was held in Cairo and concluded just two days before the beginning of the Military Championships. What makes these results also great is that the two outclassed the Frenchman Belau Valentine, the 2016 world champion. These results are also an indication that Egyptian modern pentathlon is going in the right direction with the juniors whom we also gave the chance to take part in the open competitions and the senior world championships so they can gain more experience,” Al-Erian said. The 44th CISM Military World Championships Modern Pentathlon which was held from 17 to 25 September in Warendorf, Germany, had seen a star-studded line-up leading an 80-strong field which included two Rio 2016 Olympic Games medallists and one reigning individual world champion. They compete at the Bundeswehr Sports School, underlining the strong military heritage of the modern pentathlon and the strong links it retains to servicemen and women. Warendorf, which has for many years been a strong centre of the modern pentathlon in Germany, hosted the CISM Military World Championships for the 7th time. Klaus Schormann, president of the sport's world federation, and who attended the championships, welcomed all participants at the opening of the event. “I welcome all of the athletes who have travelled from 16 nations and four continents to take part in the 44th CISM Military World Championships here in Warendorf. People of different origins, religions and ethnic backgrounds gather for sporting competitions and to celebrate together under the slogan ‘Friendship Through Sport'. I wish all participants an impressive and unforgettable stay in Germany, every success for their competitions as well as an exciting and fair tournament.”
