IN THE WOMEN'S final of the 2008 modern pentathlon World Cup in the Czech Republic, Aya started the run in first place and simply left the pack behind. The scores were the news. posted a monumental 5,808 points. Incredibly Gretchichnikova (RUS) also reached seemingly unattainable heights with a 5,748, and Heather Fell (GBR) took bronze with a score normally associated with the absolute elite (5,688). The extraordinarily competitive men's final was filled with action and suspense. At one point Michalik (CZE) was 176 points into the lead, and it seemed the gold was all but taken. Riding can turn everything around, and it was true today as well. Michalik didn't seem to have any real trouble with his mount or the course; at a glance his ride looked to be fairly solid. The top rails, however, would not stay in the cups, and with each rail down, Michalik's lead narrowed. By the time it was over the lead had shrunk to a poultry 8 points. After four events the distance from first to 10th was only 40 seconds setting the stage for the epic finish one can only find in a competition of this calibre. A blistering pace out of the gates, and Tymoshchenko (UKR) quickly moved into the lead. Michalik continued to fade while Berrou (FRA) ran past and took the lead with 1,000 metres to go. Tymoshchenko stayed right on the heals of Berrou until Berrou threw in an explosive sprint 300 metres from the finish line. Not far behind the battle for bronze was raging. A hard charging Svoboda (CZE) was relentless in his chase, and after several position changes simply outlasted the rest, moving from sixth to third. And that is how it ended for the podium. Berrou (FRA), Tymoshchenko (UKR), Svoboda (CZE) in that order.
